US embassy cable - 95PHNOMPENH152

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PHNOM PENH 000152 
 
 
E.O. 12356:  DECL:OADR 
TAGS:  PREL, PGOV, CB, FR, TH 
SUBJECT:  VIEWS OF HOR NAMHONG, CAMBODIAN AMBASSADOR 
          TO FRANCE 
 
1.  C - ENTIRE TEXT. 
 
2.  FORMER SOC FOREIGN MINISTER AND PRESENT RCG 
AMBASSADOR TO PARIS HOR NAMHONG EXCHANGED VIEWS WITH THE 
AMBASSADOR JANUARY 11 DURING A VISIT TO PHNOM PENH. 
ALTHOUGH THEORETICALLY NEUTRAL POLITICALLY, HOR NAMHONG 
WITH HIS IMTIMATE INVOLVEMENT WITH THE MEMBERS OF THE 
FORMER REGIME HERE AND A WIDE RANGE OF CONTACTS HAS 
CONSIDERABLE INFORMATION AT HAND OF INTEREST.  HE BEGAN 
BY PRAISING THE EXCELLENT RELATIONS HE ENJOYS WITH 
AMBASSADOR HARRIMAN IN PARIS. 
 
3.  THE KING.  DESPITE CPP FEARS THAT THE KING WOULD 
SEEK TO GRAB POWER, HOR NAMHONG FOUND HIM DURING A 
RECENT MEETING TO BE VERY RELAXED.  SIHANOUK PRAISED THE 
GOVERNMENT, PARTICULARLY FOR ITS HANDLING OF THE KHMER 
ROUGE, OBSERVING THAT THEY ARE EVERYWHERE ON THE RUN. 
HE SAID THAT PEOPLE LIKE SON SANN, NHEK TIOULONG, AND 
SAUMURA TIOULONG HAVE URGED HIM TO TAKE POWER, BUT HE 
INSISTED THAT HE HAS SWORN LOYALTY TO THE CONSTITUTION 
AND HAS NO INTENTION OF CHANGING THE SITUATION.  THE 
KING SAID HE INTENDS TO BE A TRUE CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCH 
 
4.  EARLY ELECTIONS.  HOR NAMHONG SAID HE HAS BEEN 
HEARING SOME PEOPLE SPEAK IN FAVOR OF EARLY ELECTIONS. 
FOR SOME, IT WOULD BE A WAY TO OPEN THE DOOR TO NATIONAL 
RECONCILIATION WITH THE KR, SOMETHING HE FINDS 
PERSONALLY TO BE COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY.  SOME WITHIN 
FUNCINPEC BELIEVE AN EARLY ELECTION WOULD ENABLE THEIR 
PARTY TO BE THE SOLE PARTY IN CHARGE, A FALSE VIEW WHEN 
IT IS HARDLY CERTAIN THAT FUNCINPEC WOULD WIN. 
 
5.  THE SITUATION.  IN RESPONSE TO NAMHONG'S QUESTION 
ABOUT THE SITUATION, THE AMBASSADOR SAID IT SEEMS 
BASICALLY ALL RIGHT.  BOTH STABILITY AND DEMOCRACY ARE 
IMPORTANT, AND THE GOVERNMENT'S SUCCESS AGAINST THE 
DECLINING KR HAS BEEN IMPRESSIVE.  NAMHONG SAID HE IS 
PLEASED WITH THAT THE TWO PRIME MINISTERS ARE WORKING 
TOGETHER SO WELL.  AMBASSADOR TWINING POINTED OUT THAT, 
WHILE WE SUPPORT THE LEGITIMATE GOVERNMENT AND THE 
CONSTITUTION PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THE ELECTIONS, 
STATEMENTS ALLUDING TO "ENEMIES" AMONG MP'S AND OTHERS 
WHO "OPPOSE" THE GOVERNMENT ARE DISTURBING.  A DEMOCRACY 
ALLOWS FOR THE FREE EXPRESSION OF OPINION, INCLUDING IN 
THE PRESS AND NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, AND NEGATIVE ALLUSIONS 
TO THOSE WITH DIFFERING VIEWS IS NOT HELPFUL TO WHAT THE 
NEW CAMBODIA STANDS FOR.  HOR NAMHONG SAID HE AGREED 
FULLY.  THE PRESS NEEDS TO BE RESPONSIBLE, AND A PRESS 
LAW PROVIDING FOR CIVIL PENALTIES SHOULD BE USEFUL IN 
THIS REGARD.  AS FOR THE ASSEMBLY, DEPUTIES SHOULD BE 
FREE TO SAY WHAT THEY WISH.  AMBASSADOR TWINING 
EXPRESSED THE HOPE THAT THIS CAN BE EMPHASIZED. 
 
6.  THE JULY 2 COUP ATTEMPT.  HOR NAMHONG SAID THAT THE 
DEGREE OF HIGHER CPP SUPPORT REMAINS UNCLEAR.  CHEA SIM 
ASKED NAMHONG QUIETLY LATE LAST SUMMER TO REQUEST HUN 
SEN NOT TO PURSUE PENALTIES FOR THE COUP PLOTTERS, A 
MESSAGE HOR NAMHONG DID NOT DELIVER.  SIN SONG AND 
PRINCE CHAKRAPONG PROBABLY MADE THEIR COUP ATTEMPT DUE 
TO PIQUE THAT THEY HAD NOT BEEN READMITTED TO THE 
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, MORE THAN FOR ANY OTHER REASON, A 
RIDICULOUS REASON TO EJECT THE NEW GOVERNMENT ACHIEVED 
AT GREAT COST TO THE WORLD COMMUNITY.  HUN SEN TOLD HIM 
THAT THAI FOREIGN MINISTER THAKSIN REQUESTED A PRIVATE 
MEETING DURING HIS DECEMBER 21 VISIT TO EXPRESS HIS 
PERSONAL APPRECIATION FOR HUN SEN'S STATEMENT 
EXONERATING THAKSIN FROM INVOLVEMENT IN THE COUP 
ATTEMPT.  HUN SEN HAD BRIEFED SIHANOUK AT GREAT LENGTH 
IN DETAIL LAST SEPTEMBER ABOUT THE COUP ATTEMPT, BUT THE 
KING'S DESIRE TO PARDON THOSE INVOLVED SEEMS TO INDICATE 
THAT HE DID NOT BELIEVE ALL THAT HUN SEN TOLD HIM.  HUN 
SEN FEELS HE CAN BE HELPFUL IN SHORING UP SUPPORT OF THE 
THAI BUSINESS COMMUNITY FOR INVESTMENT IN CAMBODIA 
DURING HIS UPCOMING TRIP TO BANGKOK. 
 
7.  TAKING THE KR TO COURT.  HOR NAMHONG WAS PLEASED 
THAT WE SEEM TO HAVE GOTTEN THE "GENOCIDE INVESTIGATION" 
UNDERWAY.  OUR INFORMATION WILL BE HELPFUL WHEN A COURT 
BEGINS TO DEAL WITH THE ISSUE, SOMETHING IT IS 
CAMBODIA'S RESPONSIBILITY TO INSTIGATE.  IT IS INDEED 
NECESSARY FOR TOP KR LEADERS TO BE PERSONALLY PUT ON THE 
STAND.  FOR THAT, CAMBODIA WILL NEED TO ASK THAILAND FOR 
HELP IN ASCERTAINING THE WHEREABOUTS OF THE KR LEADERS 
SO THEY CAN BE TAKEN.  U.S. ASSISTANCE IN SUPPORTING THE 
CAMBODIAN REQUEST WOULD BE APPRECIATED.  HE HAS 
SUGGESTED TO RCAF CHIEF OF GENERAL STAFF KE KIMYAN THAT 
HE PREPARE THE GROUND FOR THIS WHEN HE NEXT MEETS WITH 
THAI MILITARY LEADERS. 
 
8.  CAMBODIAN-FRENCH RELATIONS.  THE FRENCH FOREIGN 
MINISTER MADE A BIG MISTAKE IN CANCELLING HIS PROPOSED 
VISIT TO CAMBODIA LAST MONTH.  "FRANCE CANNOT BASE ITS 
RELATIONSHIP TOWARD CAMBODIA ON THE DEATH OF ONE 
FRENCHMAN," I.E, IN LAST YEAR'S HOSTAGE SITUATION.  HE 
WAS ALSO WRONG WHEN HE STATED IN VIETNAM THAT THAT 
COUNTRY IS THE FOCAL POINT FOR FRENCH POLICY TOWARD THE 
THREE COUNTRIES OF THE SUB-REGION.  REGARDING MILITARY 
RELATIONSHIPS, HOR NAMHONG SAID HE HAS URGED THE FRENCH 
TO COORDINATE THEIR AID WITH THE U.S. AND AUSTRALIA.  HE 
IS ALSO PLEASED THAT THE FRENCH ARE FINALLY INVITING KE 
KIMRAN TO MAKE AN OFFICIAL VISIT IN APRIL, FOLLOWING HIS 
VISITS TO THE U.S. AND AUSTRALIA. 
 
9.  ICORC.  HOR NAMHONG'S PERSONAL VIEW IS THAT, 
FOLLOWING THE PARIS MEETING IN MARCH IN WHICH BOTH PRIME 
MINISTERS WILL BE PARTICIPATING, THERE SHOULD BE ONLY 
ONE MORE SUCH HIGH-LEVEL MEETING, HELD IN PHNOM PENH, 
AFTER WHICH ICORC SHOULD BE CONVERTED INTO A 
CONSULTATIVE GROUP.  HE INTENDS TO DISCUSS THIS WITH 
PRINCE RANARIDDH DURING A JANUARY 12 MEETING. 
 
10.  THE KR IN FRANCE.  THE KR, LED BY FORMER KR ENVOY 
TO UNESCO OK SAKUN (A FRENCH CITIZEN), ARE ACTIVE IN 
PROPAGANDIZING AMONG CAMBODIAN IN FRANCE.  WHILE THERE 
ARE NOT MANY WHO ACTUALLY SUPPORT THE KR, A MUCH GREATER 
NUMBER SYMPATHIZES WITH KR ARGUMENTS REGARDING THE 
"ROTTEN" GOVERNMENT, ETC.  HOR NAMHONG DESCRIBED THIS AS 
PART OF THE FRENCH AND FRENCH-CAMBODIAN WAY OF 
INTELLECTUALIZING THINGS WITHOUT TAKING ACCOUNT OF 
REALITY. 
 
11.  COMMENT.  THE DISCUSSION WAS A USEFUL ONE.  HOR 
NAMHONG WILL BE SEEING HUN SEN BEFORE HE LEAVES AND IS 
LIKELY TO REPORT TO HIM ON OUR CONVERSATION, INCLUDING 
OUR CONCERN REGARDING PEOPLE WHO TAKE A POSITION AT 
VARIANCE WITH THE RCG VIEW AS BEING AGAINST THE 
GOVERNMENT.  THIS CAN BE HELPFUL. 
 
TWINING