US urges Cambodia and Thailand to end weeks of deadly violence
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has urged Thailand and Cambodia to halt the fighting as the two neighbours press ahead with talks aimed at ending weeks of deadly border clashes.
In a phone call with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet on Thursday (December 25), Rubio repeated President Donald Trump’s message that the priority is to restore calm, according to a US statement.
State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said Rubio also underlined that Washington is ready to help facilitate discussions to support peace and stability between the two countries.
The latest negotiations mark the first direct talks since the violence flared on December 7.
At least 44 people have been killed, while more than half a million civilians have been displaced on both sides of the border.
The current crisis follows earlier fighting in July, when five days of clashes ended with an initial ceasefire deal brokered with the involvement of Malaysia and the United States.
BLOOMBERG
