UNESCO envoy meets prime ministers of Thailand, Cambodia on temple

March 03, 2011
Xinhua

A special envoy for the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) met with leaders including Prime Minister Hun Sen of Cambodia and Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva of Thailand to talk about the Preah Vihear temple issue, UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said here Wednesday.

The envoy, Koichiro Matsuura "met with leaders from Thailand and Cambodia to discuss ways to safeguard the World Heritage site of Preah Vihear, during his visits to Bangkok and Phnom Penh between Feb. 27 and March 1," Nesirky said at a daily news briefing.

Border clashes between Cambodia and Thailand occurred from Feb. 4 to Feb. 7 over land near the temple that Thailand claimed to own. The historic temple building, which was added to the World Heritage List in 2008, sustained reported damage during the fighting.

"During his discussions in both capitals, Mr. Matsuura stressed the need to create the conditions necessary for the safeguarding of the 11th century Preah Vihear Temple," Nesirky said. "Mr. Matsuura expressed the hope for a lasting dialogue between the two countries with a view to establishing long-term sustainable conservation of the site."

Matsurra, who formerly served as director-general of UNESCO and chair of the World Heritage Committee, was named UNESCO's special envoy to mediate the Preah Vihear issue on Feb. 11.