Vietnam Signals Readiness to Negotiate End to Cambodia War

Vietnam has signaled its readiness to negotiate an end to the lengthy war in Cambodia in announcing it wants to hold talks on the issue with China and Western-aligned Southeast Asian nations.

Foreign Minister Nguyen Co Thach disclosed his government’s intentions during a state banquet Wednesday for his Soviet counterpart, Eduard A. Shevardnadze, who endorsed the peace effort, Hanoi radio said Thursday.

The broadcast, monitored in Bangkok, did not say if China and members of the Assn. of Southeast Asian Nations--Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand--have agreed to a meeting nor did it say what form the talks might take.

A Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman said his country has not been approached for negotiations and that he is not aware of any invitation to other Southeast Asian nations or China.

Invasion in 1978

Vietnam invaded Cambodia in December, 1978, to end the bloody rule of the Beijing-backed Khmer Rouge regime. The Khmer Rouge and two non-communist factions are now battling the Vietnamese occupation force.

“Vietnam, Laos and Kampuchea (Cambodia) are planning to hold dialogues with China and ASEAN countries on the principles of equality and respect for each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and mutual understanding to reach a political solution to the Kampuchean issue and to turn Southeast Asia into a zone of peace, stability and friendly cooperation,” Hanoi radio quoted Thach as saying.

Cambodia is the key obstacle to better relations among China, the Soviet Union, the Communist-ruled nations of Southeast Asia and members of ASEAN. It is also the main reason why Western nations have placed an embargo on badly needed aid to economically-troubled Vietnam, a key Soviet ally.

ASEAN members, China and Western nations have demanded a Vietnamese withdrawal and free elections to replace the Hanoi-installed Heng Samrin regime, which is not recognized by the United Nations.

Wants Khmer Rouge Out

Hanoi insists on the destruction of the Khmer Rouge so it cannot return to power. But the Khmer Rouge, with the non-communist guerrillas, is part of a U.N.-recognized coalition government seeking a role in peace talks.

Shevardnadze’s current Southeast Asia trip, which has included stops in Thailand, Indonesia, Australia and now Hanoi, raised hopes that he would pressure Cambodia and Vietnam into making accommodations.