Rebels Disrupt Cambodia Peace, U.N. Aide Says
The head of the U.N. mission here accused the Khmer Rouge guerrillas Wednesday of undermining Cambodia’s peace accord and warned that widespread fighting could erupt again.
Yasushi Akashi, who leads the biggest U.N. peacekeeping operation, condemned the radical Marxist group for refusing to disarm as required by the peace treaty signed by Cambodia’s four warring factions last October. He said the Khmer Rouge also is barring U.N. troops from territory it controls.
“The position of the Khmer Rouge constitutes a clear breach of the peace agreement and is totally unacceptable,” Akashi said.
Despite the lack of cooperation from the Khmer Rouge, he said U.N. officials plan to begin disarming two other rebel factions and troops of the Phnom Penh government as scheduled Saturday.
Prince Norodom Ranariddh, head of one of the guerrilla armies, told reporters Friday that he would not allow his troops to be disarmed as long as the Khmer Rouge refuse to do so.
Akashi said that if the Khmer Rouge does not begin disarming within a month--the scheduled time for this stage of the peace plan--then the entire accord might collapse and reignite the 14-year-old civil war.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
