US stepping up efforts to restore October peace accord

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the media that the US could negotiate a return to the October peace accord by ‘Monday or Tuesday’. Supplied

The US is engaging in a high-stakes diplomatic effort to bring Thailand and Cambodia back into compliance with the peace agreement they signed in Malaysia on October 26. The renewed push comes as the latest conflict rages. A ceasefire was declared in July, with a peace accord signed in October, but fighting erupted once more on December 7 and continues unabated.

“The fighting, for example with Thailand and Cambodia, did stop. Both sides have made commitments in writing that they signed. Those commitments today are not being kept,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told a December 19 press conference.

Rubio said the immediate goal of the US is to bring both parties back to the negotiating table and honour their existing pledges.

ASEAN foreign ministers are scheduled to meet on December 22, marking the first time that senior officials from Cambodia and Thailand have met since the October 26 peace deal.

Rubio noted President Trump’s involvement in discussions over the weekend, underscoring the high level of concern within the US administration. Trump witnessed the October peace deal and has repeatedly claimed that he was solely responsible for the July ceasefire. On December 16, he declared he had ‘straightened out’ the current border conflict, even as fighting continues.

“Our hope is, between now and Monday, to work to bring everybody back to compliance with the agreements that were made,” Rubio stated.

He viewed the existence of signed agreements as a crucial advantage, as they will provide a basis for bringing both parties back to the table, rather than having to negotiate entirely new terms.

Rubio acknowledged the cyclical nature of peace agreements, where initial compliance can falter.

“As I said, in many of these cases with peace, you sign a peace deal, there’s compliance, something happens, they fall out of compliance. You gotta bring them back, you gotta try to push — but at least instead of negotiating something new, you’re simply trying to push people back to compliance with what they already agreed on,” he said.

“In the case of Cambodia and Thailand, it actually did stop fighting. It has now restarted, and we are working hard to push everybody back to compliance. We are cautiously optimistic that we can get there by Monday or Tuesday of next week. We’re hopeful, but there’s more work to be done to that point,” he added.

Rubio also noted that the US relationship with Cambodia has grown closer, while recalling that Thailand remains a key ally.

-The Phnom Penh Post-