US officials to assist in ceasefire talks between Thailand and Cambodia, Rubio says – Washington Examiner
US officials are currently in Malaysia to assist in ceasefire talks between Thailand and Cambodia, following a deadly border conflict that began last week, resulting in at least 35 deaths and displacing over 218,000 people. Secretary of State Marco Rubio highlighted the urgency of the talks, scheduled for a meeting in Kuala Lumpur, and emphasized ongoing US engagement to help end the conflict. after initially issuing a call for a peaceful resolution, the US escalated its involvement when President Trump leveraged trade negotiations with both countries to push for an immediate ceasefire. Both Thai acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet confirmed their attendance at the meeting, with Phumtham expressing thankfulness for US concern but stating he preferred no third-party mediation.
US officials to assist in ceasefire talks between Thailand and Cambodia, Rubio says
State Department officials are currently in Malaysia to assist in the ceasefire talks between Thailand and Cambodia, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced.
The two Southeast Asian countries have been involved in a deadly border conflict since late last week, fighting that has resulted in at least 35 deaths and the displacement of more than 218,000 people. Over the weekend, Trump spoke to the leaders of Thailand and Cambodia and announced that ceasefire talks would be held “immediately” after threatening to back out of trade talks with them if the fighting continued.
On Sunday night, Rubio underscored the urgency for both countries to reach a ceasefire at the meeting scheduled for 3 p.m. local time Monday in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia.
“Cambodia and Thailand are scheduled to begin high level talks in Malaysia shortly in hopes of achieving an immediate ceasefire. State Department officials are on the ground in Malaysia to assist these peace efforts. Both [Trump] and I remain engaged with our respective counterparts for each country and are monitoring the situation very closely. We want this conflict to end as soon as possible,” Rubio said in a statement.
The United States had initially remained quiet when fighting broke out last Thursday.
At the time, the State Department had only issued a statement urging “the immediate cessation of attacks, protection of civilians, and peaceful settlement of disputes.”
But as the conflict worsened, Trump intervened and leveraged the potential trade deals with Thailand and Cambodia to achieve a ceasefire. State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce touched on the president’s thinking on Sunday, calling it the “perfect blend” of “America First” policies, where Trump can rebalance trade while also achieving diplomacy.
Rubio’s statement signals the U.S. will have an even larger hand in the peacemaking effort at a meeting that they co-organized.
TRUMP LEVERAGES TRADE IN EFFORT TO END CAMBODIA-THAILAND CONFLICT
Both Thai acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet have confirmed they will attend the meeting.
Phumtham has said he does not want a third country to mediate the peace talks, but was “thankful” for Trump’s “concern.”
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