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More U.N. talks on Khmer Rouge trials
From CNN UN producer Liz Neisloss
UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- Cambodian and U.N. officials will meet for a second day to continue talks aimed at creating a tribunal to try former Khmer Rouge leaders accused of genocide that killed 1.7 million people in the late 1970s. Cambodia's lead negotiator, Sok An, told reporters his country is serious in resuming the negotiations, which were broken off by a frustrated United Nations last February. "We came very far and I think that our presence here is enough to demonstrate our goodwill in pushing for this process," he said. After a three-hour opening meeting, chief U.N. negotiator Hans Corell called the talks "exploratory" and said the two sides "covered a lot of ground." Neither side gave details about the discussions. Sok An said the two sides would continue to talk about "common ground." A U.N. General Assembly resolution last month urged that the talks be restarted. In June 1997, the Cambodian government asked the United Nations to help bring to justice those responsible for the genocide during the Khmer Rouge regime, from 1975 to 1979. In 1999, Phnom Penh rejected a proposal by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan for an international court and instead decided to establish a national tribunal with the participation of foreign judges and prosecutors. Despite that rebuff, the United Nations continued to try to assist in setting up what the it called a "credible process," but it gave up last February. U.N. officials said the court that was planned would "not guarantee independence, impartiality and objectivity." Annan must report back to the U.N. General Assembly by March 18 on the progress of the latest talks.
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