SECRETARY-GENERAL EXPRESSES CONCERN AT RENEWED FIGHTING IN CAMBODIA

Press Release
SG/SM/6305

SECRETARY-GENERAL EXPRESSES CONCERN AT RENEWED FIGHTING IN CAMBODIA

This statement was issued today by the Spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan:

The Secretary-General views with deep concern the recent outbreak of fighting in the north-west of Cambodia. He strongly urges all parties involved to end their hostilities and desist from all actions that would cause a further deterioration of the situation. The Secretary-General again underscores the need for all Cambodian parties to begin to work towards creating a political climate conducive to the holding of genuinely free and fair elections in May 1998, in an atmosphere free from intimidation.

The Secretary-General expresses his sympathy for the plight of some 200,00 Cambodians who have been driven from their homes by the fighting. He commends the Thai Government for granting sanctuary to the refugees and calls upon Thailand to extend hospitality to them for as long as required in cooperation with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

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