Cambodia calls for talks with Thailand on disputed oil and gas zone

Cambodia calls for talks with Thailand on disputed oil and gas zone

Aug 30, 2011

DPA

Phnom Penh - Cambodia called
Tuesday for the newly elected Thai government to resume talks on
resolving claims to a 27,000-square-kilometre stretch of seabed
considered rich in oil and gas.

The Cambodian National Petroleum
Authority, a government body, said it had 'a firm commitment to finding
an equitable and transparent resolution to the overlapping claims
area.'

'The [government] would welcome
the resumption of open and official negotiation on this issue and will
pursue such a course as soon as practicable,' it said.

The statement marked the second time in little more than a month that Cambodia has sought to restart the talks.

The authority said discussions
held from 2001 to 2007 had been 'fruitful,' adding that the government
of Abhisit Vejjajiva, which took power in 2008 and had rocky relations
with Phnom Penh, had sought to resolve the dispute prior to this year's
election.

To that end, it said, Bangkok and Phnom Penh had held secret talks to try to reach a deal.

A number of major oil companies
have signed exploration deals with Cambodia in the Gulf of Thailand,
including the US firm Chevron Corp and France's Total SA.

In 2001, the two nations signed
an agreement that outlined their joint management of resources in the
disputed zone, but the details have yet to be worked out.

Cambodia hopes to reap a windfall from oil and gas revenues that could transform the impoverished nation.