Cambodia Tribunal Needed, Annan Says

An international tribunal, and not a Cambodian court, should handle the prosecution of the leaders of the Khmer Rouge, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said. In an apparent attempt to win the approval for a U.N. court from Cambodia’s leader, Hun Sen, he added that a Cambodian war crimes tribunal would not have to be modeled on existing ones, and other options could be explored. Hun Sen has already told Annan that he opposes an international tribunal out of fear that such a proceeding would anger the thousands of former Khmer Rouge rank and file who have made peace with the government.