Sihanouk Eases Stand on Talks to Settle Cambodian Conflict

Cambodian resistance leader Norodom Sihanouk said Sunday that he has dropped his demands for U.N. supervision of a Vietnamese troop withdrawal and the dissolution of Premier Hun Sen’s regime as preconditions for talks to settle the 11-year-old conflict.

“I am ready to soften my stance,” Prince Sihanouk, 67, said upon arrival from Bangkok, Thailand, for talks starting Tuesday.

“I have to be realistic,” he said. “I have to make possible an agreement” with Hun Sen, the head of the Hanoi-backed Phnom Penh regime.

However, Sihanouk ruled out a deal without consultations with his resistance partners, including the Khmer Rouge. “I am not going to sign an agreement with Hun Sen” without the approval of the heads of the two other factions, former Premier Son Sann and Khmer Rouge leader Khieu Samphan.

Although three previous meetings with Hun Sen in France failed to make any progress, an unusually conciliatory Sihanouk said, “Both of us may soften our stands to find a solution.”

Since Vietnam announced in April the unconditional withdrawal of its troops by September, hopes have run high that the talks between Sihanouk and Hun Sen will result in a breakthrough.

Arriving only five hours before U.S. Vice President Dan Quayle, the prince who ruled Cambodia for nearly 30 years said he was looking forward to their meeting today.

“I did not ask for it,” Sihanouk said, adding that Quayle requested a “courtesy call.”

Quayle is expected to discuss the possibility of the United States granting military aid to the non-communist resistance groups.