CAMBODIA (Government's policy)

Dr Lee Siew-Choh asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs whether he will say what is the Government's policy on Cambodia.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr Wong Kan Seng): Mr Speaker, Sir, the Government's policy on Cambodia has been fully conveyed in many forums. The Prime Minister has given several press interviews on this subject only very recently. When I was in New York in October, I addressed both the Council on Foreign Relations and the United Nations General Assembly on the issue of Cambodia. I believe the Member has not read my speeches as they were published in the Straits Times, but I would be very pleased to give him two copies of my speeches afterwards.

Singapore has a national interest in the satisfactory solution of the Cambodian problem. As a small state, Singapore has to stand up and vigorously defend any small state, including Cambodia, when it is invaded in violation of the principles of the UN Charter and international law. At the same time, we also firmly believe in the right of self-determination for the Cambodian people. These are the fundamental premises upon which our Cambodian policy is based.

Let me briefly state the key elements of Singapore's policy on Cambodia. Singapore firmly believes that the only way to bring about a durable peace to Cambodia and end the long suffering of the Cambodian people is through a comprehensive political settlement. Such a settlement should include, among others, the following elements:

(a) the creation of an international control mechanism under the UN auspices to verify the total withdrawal of Vietnamese forces from Cambodia;

(b) the formation of an interim quadripartite government in Phnom Penh under Prince Norodom Sihanouk's effective leadership pending free and fair elections;

(c) the holding of UN supervised elections to enable the Cambodian people to decide who should rule them. These elements have been endorsed by an overwhelming majority of the international community at the United Nations.

An international conference on Cambodia was held in Paris in August - September 1989. It failed only because Vietnam refused to accept two essential elements of a comprehensive political settlement:

(a) effective power-sharing among the four Cambodian factions in an interim government; and

(b) the participation of the UN in a comprehensive political settlement.

The Cambodian problem was debated for the 11th time in the UN General Assembly this year from 15-16 November 1989. The ASEAN-sponsored Resolution on Cambodia calling for a comprehensive political settlement was co-sponsored by a record high of 79 member countries, half of the UN's membership. For the 10th year in a row, it received increased support, 124 votes in favour compared to 122 votes last year. The support for the ASEAN Resolution was a clear signal from the international community that it still holds Vietnam responsible for a satisfactory solution of the Cambodian problem.

As I said earlier, after the adoption of the UN resolution, Singapore sincerely hopes that Vietnam will accept this decision of the UN in the right spirit. We have not set out to humiliate Vietnam. Instead, we have always tried to encourage it to heed the overwhelming voice of the international community. The time has now come for Vietnam to sit down and negotiate seriously with the Cambodian parties and other members of the Paris Conference for a compromise settlement that takes into account the interests of all parties, including Vietnam's.

1.30 pm

Mr Speaker: Order. End of Question time. Ministerial Statement.

Pursuant to Standing Order 21(2), Written Answers to Questions Nos. 11 to 16 remaining on the Order Paper are reproduced at the section, 'Oral Answers to Questions Not Reached'(Cols. 769 - 772).