Trump to attend signing of Thailand-Cambodia 'peace deal': Malaysia foreign minister

KUALA LUMPUR: US President Donald Trump will attend the ceremonial signing of a peace agreement between Thailand and Cambodia at an upcoming regional Southeast Asian summit, Malaysia's foreign minister said on Tuesday (Oct 14).

Trump "is looking forward to witness the Thailand-Cambodia peace deal", Mohamad Hasan told reporters at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysia and the United States will facilitate the ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia, which will require both sides to remove all mines and heavy artillery from their borders, Mohamad said.

He said he hopes the agreement will be signed during the upcoming meeting of leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, set to take place in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur from Oct 26 to 28.

“During the summit, we hope to see the signing of a declaration known as the Kuala Lumpur Accord between these two neighbours to ensure peace and a lasting ceasefire,” Mohamad told the media.

Tensions between Thailand and Cambodia over undemarcated points along their 817km land border erupted into a deadly five-day conflict in July.

The worst fighting between the two countries in over a decade saw at least 48 people killed and hundreds of thousands temporarily displaced on both sides.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet has said he nominated the US president for a Nobel Peace Prize, crediting him with "innovative diplomacy" that ended the clashes.

Thailand's prime minister Anutin Charnvirakul said last week that he received a letter from Trump, with the US leader saying he wanted to see the two fighting neighbours resolve tensions.