THE PRESIDENT'S REPLY
TO THE REMARKS OF THE
NEWLY APPOINTED AMBASSADOR
OF THE KINGDOM OF CAMBODIA
ROLAND ENG
UPON THE OCCASION OF THE PRESENTATION OF
HIS LETTER OF CREDENCE

Mr. Ambassador:

        I am pleased to accept your Letter of Credence from His Majesty Norodom Sihanouk, King of Cambodia, which establishes you as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Cambodia to the United States of America, and I acknowledge the Letter of Recall of your distinguished predecessor. Thank you for your greetings on behalf of the Cambodian people and the Royal Government of Cambodia. I extend a warm welcome to you on your arrival in Washington.

        The United States has long supported peace and stability for the people of Cambodia. We welcome the success of the coalition government in restoring calm. This calm offers the opportunity to work toward genuine national reconciliation, democratic development, and greater prosperity for all Cambodians.

        An important first step that would contribute to long-term stability would be establishing the foundations for the effective rule of law and respect for huiman rights in Cambodia. This requires ending the culture of violence and impunity prevalent for too long in recent Cambodian history. The Cambodian people deserve credible democratic institutions where they can resolve differences non-violently. Holding the senior Khmer Rouge leadership accountable for their crimes against the Cambodian people would build public confidence in the rule of law. As we have worked to restore peace and stability in Cambodia in the past, we remain willing to work with Cambodia to support justice consistent with Cambodian sovereignty through an internationally credible tribunal of the senior Khmer Rouge leadership.

        We recognize the many other challenges facing Cambodia as it seeks to build a peaceful and prosperous future, and will offer assistance where possible. The possibilities for assistance will increase to the extent Cambodia makes concrete progress in strengthening democracy, protecting human rights, and addressing the needs of the Cambodian people.We understand that communal elections will take place next year in Cambodia. We hope that these elections will be free of the violence and intimidation that have marred previous elections, so that the Cambodian people may select their representatives freely. Combatting corruption and protecting the rights of workers will benefit the many over the few. Sustainable management of Cambodia's forests will halt the environmental degradation of the past. Progress on these and other issues will broadly dissminate development throughout Cambodia and bolster the prospects for continued peace and stability.

        We congratulate Cambodia on its admission to ASEAN and look forward to working with Cambodia to build regional stability. We appreciate the excellent cooperation extended by Cambodia to assist our efforts to recover the remains of our missing in action from the Vietnam War. We look forward to building on our cooperation in the future.

        Again, it gives me great pleasure to welcome you as Cambodia's Ambassador, and I wish you every success in fulfilling your agenda here in Washington.