Kampuchean peace settlement 'on horizon' Secretary-General reports.

He made his remarks on the eve of the second jakarta Informal Meeting (JIM), held in the Indonesian capital (19-21 February) and involving all major parties-the four Kampuchean parties, the ASEAN countries, Viet Nam, and the Lao People's Democratic Republic.

The Kampuchean parties are: the National United Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful and Cooperative Cambodia (FUNCINPEC), headed by Prince Sihanouk; the Khmer People's National Liberation Front (KPNLF), led by Son Sann; the Party of Democratic Kampuchea (PDK), led by Khieu Samphan; as well as the authorities in Phnom Penh. ASEAN members are: Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.

In a consensus statement provided to the Secretary-General (A/44/138-S/20477), participants concurred that a cease-fire would take effect on the date of entry into force of an agreement on the solution of the Kampuchea question. Immediately afterwards, all Vietnamese troops, military advisers and personnel, armaments and other materials would be withdrawn by a target date of 30 September 1989.

The withdrawal would be overseen by an international control mechanism", which would monitor, supervise and verify the withdrawal process, as well as the prevention of resumption of armed hostilities and the conduct of general elections, which should be held "in a free and democratic fashion".

Participants also agreed that an international conference should be convened to obtain guarantees of full compliance with all agreements reached; international endorsement of the declared status of Kampuchea as a sovereign, independent, peaceful, neutral and non-aligned State within its territorial integrity; the adoption and initiation of an international programme of economic reconstruction and development for Kampuchea and other regional countries; and necessary funding for the implementation of the Kampuchean peace process.

JIM participants, in the consensus statement, also stipulated that measures should be taken to "prevent the recurrence of genocidal policies and practices of the Pol Pot regime and the resumption of armed hostilities", and to stop all foreign interference and external arms supplies to opposing Kampuchean forces.

Synchronized timetables would be established for troop withdrawals and for cessation of all foreign interference and external arms supplies to all Kampuchean parties.

Participants welcomed the talks between the four Kampuchean parties to settle the problem's internal aspects, noting the disagreement which still existed with regard to an interim quadripartite authority of national reconciliation under the leadership of Prince Norodom Sihanouk.

All shared the view that a comprehensive political solution would accelerate the realization of a zone of peace, freedom and neutrality in South-East Asia.

The first jakarta Informal Meeting took place from 25 to 28 July. Both sessions were conducted in accordance with the Ho Chi Minh City Understanding of 29 July 1987.

However, the Coalition Government of Democratic Kampuchea said it could not associate itself with the consensus statement, recording a number of reservations on it.

China, Soviet

statement

Following talks in Beijing, the Foreign Ministers of China and the Soviet Union on 5 February issued a statement affirming support for a fair and reasonable political settlement of the Kampuchean question at the earliest. Both favoured complete withdrawal of Vietnamese troops and gradual total elimination of military aid to any Kampuchean party. Kampuchea's internal problems should be settled through negotiations by the Kampuchean parties on the basis of national reconciliation and free from any outside interference.

China said it favoured creation of a provisional coalition government headed by Prince Sihanouk and with quadripartite representation. The Soviet Union wanted the four parties to agree to the establishment of a "provisional organ", under Prince Sihanouk, with quadripartite representation. That organ not subordinate to any Kampuchean party, would implement agreements reached by the parties in Kampuchea and conduct free elections.

Both wanted an effective international control mechanism established by the UN to exercise strict international supervision over Vietnamese troop withdrawal, cessation of foreign military aid, maintenance of peace in Kampuchea and conduct of free elections.

China and the Soviet Union said that following troop withdrawals, they were willing to join in an international guarantee of Kampuchea's status as an independent, peaceful, neutral and non-aligned State.

Ad Hoc Committee 

meets

On 8 February, Absa Claude Diallo of Senegal, Chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee of the International Conference on Kampuchea, reported that substantial progress had been made in drawing up the schedule for the withdrawal of foreign troops, ending arms deliveries to Kampuchean factions and adopting an adequate mechanism for international supervision, the nature of which remained to be determined. However, intraKampuchean dialogue apparently continued to move slowly.

The Committee, she stressed, should encourage all concerned parties to re-engage in the process of dialogue to formulate a comprehensive settlement. She summarized recent developments concerning the situation in Kampuchea, notably the creation of a Working Commission on Kampuchea composed of representatives of the four Kampuchean parties, Prince Norodom Sihanouk's five-point plan for an equitable solution to the problem, and bilateral and multilateral meetings involving the six member countries of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), China, the four Kampuchean parties, Viet Nam and USSR.

Prince Sihanouk, she said, had announced his willingness to be flexible regarding the dismantling of the People's Republic of Kampuchea and the deployment of an international peace-keeping force during the transitional period.

Secretary-General's

efforts continue

In pursuance of his good offices on the Kampuchean problem, the Secretary-General asked his Special Representative, Rafeeuddin Ahmed, to travel to Asia in March to take stock of the situation in light of developments at JIM II. Accordingly, he visited Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Viet Nam, Kampuchea, Laos, japan, China and the USSR. During the trip, Mr. Ahmed also had the opportunity to meet separately with the leaders of all four Kampuchean parties. During the same month, the Secretary-General met in New York with Prince Ranariddh, the son and personal representative of Prince Norodom Sihanouk. Contributions

promised

More than $18 million was pledged at a 9 March meeting in New York of donors to the Kampuchean Humanitarian Assistance Programmes. Contributions were promised by members of the European Economic Community and 13 other countries: Australia, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Federal Republic of Germany, Greece, japan, Malaysia, Norway, Philippines, United Kingdom and United States.