Cambodia Mediators Concede Point

Southeast Asian mediators seeking a solution to Cambodia’s crisis pulled back Saturday from insisting on the return of deposed First Prime Minister Prince Norodom Ranariddh, a crucial victory for coup leader Hun Sen.

Representing the Assn. of Southeast Asian Nations, the foreign ministers of Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines asked Hun Sen to ensure the safe return of exiled opponents to prepare for elections next year.

The delegation, led by Indonesian Foreign Minister Ali Abdullah Alatas, said it had raised the question of Ranariddh’s future role in Cambodian politics in talks with Hun Sen.

But Alatas said Second Prime Minister Hun Sen’s position on Ranariddh was equivocal.

“Can or can’t he come back? I don’t know,” Hun Sen said. “But . . . according to the Indonesian foreign minister, Ranariddh should not return at all because his return would further complicate the situation.”