The Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) has laid out some conditions for the Cambodia People’s Party (CPP), relating to resuming negotiations to put an end the ongoing political deadlock in the country.
Speaking at a press conference on October 27 in Phnom Pennh, CNRP’s President Sam Rainsy put forward three preconditions for the resumption of talks.

The CNRP lawmakers will not take their seats in parliament, as demanded by the CPP, before the talks are held, he said.

The National Election Com­mittee (NEC)’s members must resign, he continued, adding that the Cambodian Government’s reforms must be based on recommendations made by the United Nations’ Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia Suryu Subedi.

Rainsy also stressed that it is not necessary for the government to organise a seminar on election reform in December.

Meanwhile, CPP’s spokesman Cheam Yeap on the day reiterated that the CPP will not sit down with the CNRP for further negotiations until the CNRP’s 55 elected lawmakers have gone to the Royal Palace to take the oath as other members of the National Assembly.

After an initial round of negotiations held from September 16-17, officials of the CPP and CNRP agreed that the country’s electoral system needed to be reformed. However, no specific reforms were defined.-VNA