Aquino offers venue, brew to ease Thai-Cambodia rift

JAKARTA, Indonesia—Coffee on a white sand beach could just work diplomatic wonders in easing regional tensions.

President Benigno Aquino III has offered the country’s top tourist destinations as a venue for talks to resolve a border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia.

Go-between

In jest, Mr. Aquino said he even suggested he would brew coffee for the dialogue to calm the two ASEAN members.

In an informal talk on Saturday night with reporters covering his working visit here, Mr. Aquino indicated that he somehow played go-between for Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.

“I was able to talk with Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and he said, ‘Perhaps, you can talk to Prime Minister Hun Sen,’” Mr.Aquino said of his exchange with the Thai leader on the sidelines of the 18th summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Jakarta.

The President said that he broached to Hun Sen the Philippines’ willingness to help resolve the issues between the two sides.

“I told him, ‘Mr. Prime Minister, we’re really interested in solving this problem. And all you have to do is tell us how we can help. If by not meddling, we’re helping then we will do so. But if you want us to provide a venue, we’ll give you the best resort there is in the Philippines,’” he said.

“I’ll go to the extent of making you coffee so we can be calm.”

With the attainment of an ASEAN Community by 2015 as one of the agenda during the summit, Mr. Aquino said it was important that Thailand and Cambodia come to terms.

He indicated that it would be best for the 10 ASEAN countries to engage the global community as one bloc rather than deal with nations outside the region individually.

Asean movement

The President said that it would be difficult for ASEAN to move in the world stage as one if two of its major players are at odds over a territorial issue.

“We can be a mediator. We can be an observer. Just tell us how we can be of assistance to bring your confidence levels up so that you can talk,” Mr. Aquino said he told Hun Sen.

And what did Hun Sen say?

“That’s the painful part. He didn’t say anything. He just smiled as if to say, ‘Thank you. We’ll think about it,’” Mr. Aquino said.