Phnom Penh (FN), May 22 – Cambodian Senate President, Samdech Techo Hun Sen revealed a deadlock story during the negotiations of the Paris Peace Accords, also known as the 1991 Paris Peace Accords, to which he underlined his stance on the use of the term "prosecution of the Khmer Rouge" as a means of "preventing the return of the genocidal regime."

Samdech Techo spoke on Wednesday (May 22) at the closing of the conference on the “Future of Cambodia Without Genocide” at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC).

Samdech Techo Hun Sen underscored, "The Paris Peace Accords faced obstacles due to the opposition group of the Khmer Rouge regime keep their insistence on the prosecution of the Khmer Rouge. Consequently, we proposed incorporating measures in the Paris Peace Accords to prevent the resurgence of the genocidal regime."

Samdech Techo Hun Sen underlined that even within the Paris Peace Accords, other parties opposed referring the Khmer Rouge regime as the genocidal regime. The most unjust aspect was the recognition of the Khmer Rouge regime by certain countries. These countries continued to provide political and military support to the Khmer Rouge while refusing to acknowledge their atrocities against the Cambodian people.

Samdech Techo Hun Sen continued that during the discussions on Khmer Rouge-related issues at the Paris International Conference, which commenced in 1989, he advocated for trying the Khmer Rouge in the International Criminal Court, now known as the ICC.

At that time, the government of Samdech Techo insisted on including measures to prevent the return of the genocidal regime in the agreement. However, this proposal faced opposition from other parties, leading to a stalemate over the language used in the agreement. Eventually, negotiations, facilitated by Japan, led to a compromise where the term was changed to "prevent the recurrence of past atrocities.

The Paris Agreement, aimed at closing the dark chapters of Cambodia's tragic history, had three primary objectives including restoring peace through ceasefire and disarmament, establishing democracy through Constituent Assembly elections, and safeguarding Cambodia's sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity.
=FRESH NEWS