Key donors endorse election
The governments of Australia and France have congratulated Prime Minister Hun Sen on his election victory, becoming the first key Western donors to do so since the official election results were released on September 8.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also offered his congratulations to Hun Sen on the sidelines of the 23rd ASEAN Summit in Brunei last week, according to Foreign Ministry officials.
The international recognition comes as opposition leader Sam Rainsy continues an overseas tour seeking worldwide condemnation of a government that his party maintains was illegally formed.
Following stops at the European Parliament in Strasbourg and the European Union in Brussels, Rainsy was in Paris yesterday, where he was scheduled to meet French government officials, opposition public affairs head Mu Sochua said.
He is scheduled to continue to the United Nations in New York and the US Congress in Washington, DC. …
Minister of Information Khieu Kanharith said yesterday that the government’s legitimacy came from the election and the King, rather than foreign powers. …
Letters from Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault were released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday. Both leaders focus on political reconciliation between the two parties in their diplomatic missives. …
The French letter follows a similar tack, with the government also referencing its role in the 1991 Paris Peace Accords and praising the development of Cambodian democracy. …
Other nations that have already extended their congratulations to the new government include China, Singapore, Japan, India and Brazil. …
Kevin Ponniah
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/key-donors-endorse-election
