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Cambodia Needs Democracy and Development: Former UN Official
Cambodia needs democracy and development, Yasushi Akashi, former chief of UN Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC), said Tuesday afternoon.
At a lecture organized by Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace (CICP), visiting Akashi reviewed his personal experiences during the U. N. peace-keeping operation in Cambodia in the period from 1992 to 1993.
He told the participants that the UNTAC mission was successful, which was the largest peace-keeping operation in the history of the United Nations, in which 22,000 military and civilian personnel came to Cambodia with the total expenditure of 2,200 million U.S. dollars in 18 months.
Akashi was satisfied with the achievements made by UNTAC, stressing that UNTAC succeeded in repatriation of Cambodian refugees and about 90 percent of the Cambodian electorate to register to vote in the elections organized by the United Nations.
He stated that of course there still had some disappointments in UNTAC operation, such as unsuccessful in discharge of weapons of all factions and persuading Khmer Rouge faction to participate in the elections, he added.
He noted that Cambodia is proceeding on a right way, and Cambodia would have a better future with the major political parties cooperating together to develop the country and keep improvement in democracy.
The former UNTAC chief arrived in Cambodia Sunday night for a 4- day visit, 8 years after he departed following the nation's 1993 elections.
He participated in the ceremony of destruction of illegal weapons in the western province Kompong Chhnang Monday. He met Prince Norodom Ranariddh, president of the National Assembly, Tuesday morning.
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