Thailand, Cambodia conclude 1st maritime boundary conciliation meeting

SINGAPORE, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Thailand and Cambodia on Wednesday concluded their first three-day international conciliation meeting here over their overlapping maritime claims.

The proceedings were conducted under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Compulsory conciliation under UNCLOS is a non-adjudicatory procedure in which a neutral commission assists the parties in seeking an amicable settlement of their dispute.

In his opening statement on Tuesday, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn said Cambodia wished to conclude, with the assistance of the commission and in accordance with international law, a treaty with Thailand delimiting a single, all-purpose maritime boundary between the two states.

Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said Thailand aims to seek a solution to the maritime delimitation issue.

He said the proceedings were limited to maritime boundary delimitation between Thailand and Cambodia in the Gulf of Thailand and did not concern sovereignty over land.

The compulsory conciliation proceedings were initiated by Cambodia in June, after Thailand unilaterally scrapped a 2001 memorandum of understanding on their overlapping maritime claims in May, saying the agreement had produced no concrete progress.

The Thai foreign ministry has said the conciliation process is expected to take around 12 months, after which the commission will issue a report containing its conclusions or recommendations, which are not binding upon the parties. Enditem