UN, Cambodian Officials Meet Over Tribunal

By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
12 November 2009

Cambodian and UN officials met on Wednesday for general talks on the Khmer Rouge tribunal, including the budget, as the UN-backed court prepares for a complicated trial and still faces shortfalls in funding.

Council Minister Sok An met with UN Assistant Secretary-General for Legal Affairs Peter Taksoe-Jensen in Phnom Penh as part of a “routine consultation,” a tribunal spokesman said.

Taksoe-Jensen ended three days of talks on Wednesday, having met with Sok An, tribunal officials and non-governmental organizations.

No details of the meeting were released, but the tribunal budget was “part of the discussion,” the spokesman, Lars Olsen said.

Phay Siphan, a spokesman for the Council of Ministers and head of a task force on tribunal negotiations, said the talks covered cooperation between the government and the UN and the results of the trial of Kaing Kek Iev, or Duch.

The tribunal is now preparing for its second case, against all five jailed leaders of the regime, which promises to be more complicated than that of Duch.

Tribunal observers have noted that the court has had difficulty gaining the confidence of many donors and still labors under allegations of corruption. It has also had difficulty calling senior government officials to testify.

Officials have said the new budget includes provisions for the arrest of five more suspects, a move Prime Minister Hun Sen has warned could lead to instability.