DPA
Phnom Penh - A delegation from Iraq's national landmine authority is touring some of Cambodia's former Khmer Rouge strongholds as part of a bilateral effort to share expertise, a senior Cambodian government official said Wednesday.
Cambodian Mine Action Authority deputy director-general Heng Ratana said the Iraq delegation would visit former Khmer Rouge stronghold of Pailin on the Thai-Cambodian border, about 400 kilometres from the capital, as part of a fact-finding mission.
'We hope to arrange an exchange programme so each country can experience conditions in the other and we can share information and all our lessons learned,' he said by telephone.
'They will visit Pailin as well as a number of other sites to see what demining projects Cambodia has in place and talk to people involved in the process,' he added
In August, Iraqi government sources estimated up to 25 million landmines remained as a legacy of war in that country. In Cambodia there are still up to 6 million landmines after nearly three decades of a civil war which only ended around a decade ago.
The Iraqi visit is scheduled to end September 16, Ratana said, but no date has yet been set for the exchange visit.
The National Iraq Mine Action Authority was established in 2003 to remove landmine contamination in Iraq after decades of war in the country.
Cambodian Mine Action Authority deputy director-general Heng Ratana said the Iraq delegation would visit former Khmer Rouge stronghold of Pailin on the Thai-Cambodian border, about 400 kilometres from the capital, as part of a fact-finding mission.
'We hope to arrange an exchange programme so each country can experience conditions in the other and we can share information and all our lessons learned,' he said by telephone.
'They will visit Pailin as well as a number of other sites to see what demining projects Cambodia has in place and talk to people involved in the process,' he added
In August, Iraqi government sources estimated up to 25 million landmines remained as a legacy of war in that country. In Cambodia there are still up to 6 million landmines after nearly three decades of a civil war which only ended around a decade ago.
The Iraqi visit is scheduled to end September 16, Ratana said, but no date has yet been set for the exchange visit.
The National Iraq Mine Action Authority was established in 2003 to remove landmine contamination in Iraq after decades of war in the country.
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