Troop pullout from temple area must be simultaneous: Cambodian PM

PHNOM PENH, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Friday that troop withdrawals from the newly  defined demilitarized zone surrounding the 11st century Preah Vihear temple must be done simultaneously.
  “The troop pullout must be done simultaneously, it’s impossible that Cambodia withdraw its troops first,” he said during a press  briefing to express Cambodia’s stance on the border issue with Thailand.
  His remark came after Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Thursday Indonesian observers would not be allowed to enter  the disputed border area near Preah Vihear temple ruins until Cambodian troops had left. He added that talks between the two  sides are needed to discuss procedures to prevent any misunderstanding from occurring.
  “We welcome negotiations with Thailand at anytime, anywhere and any levels of officials in order to speed up the process,”  said Hun Sen. “But the talks on the area defined by the court must be done with ASEAN participation at any cost.”
  The premier said the newly defined demilitarized zone by the ICJ’s order covers the area of 17.388 square kilometers.
  Cambodia on Thursday had sent a seven-point draft agreement to Thailand, Indonesia, The Hague, and the United Nations  Security Council, hoping to sign it with Thailand in order to comply with the order of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to  define a demilitarized zone around the 11th century Preah Vihear temple.
  “Cambodia still sticks to its ground that Cambodian troops will leave the temple area after the arrival of Indonesian observers,”  he added.