Cambodia Delays US Military Aid
Cambodia postponed U.S.-backed military assistance programs immediately after the July 28 national election, officials of both countries confirmed Tuesday, in a move that analysts said reflects a strain in relations after years of strengthening military ties.
The U.S. has in recent years expanded training and other funding for the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF), but the delay comes after U.S. lawmakers called for the U.S. to cut aid to Cambodia and the State Department’s insistence that allegations of irregularities at the polls last month should be credibly investigated.
In a press briefing in Washington on Monday, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said the suspension of military assistance was a unilateral move by the Cambodian government.
“Following the elections, the Cambodian Ministry of Defense postponed or canceled a number of international military programs, including with the United States. We would not categorize the cancelation of programs as a suspension of military ties. We haven’t indicated that we would suspend military ties,” Ms. Harf said. ...
The U.S. Embassy said it had been told some military programs involving the U.S. and other countries had simply been postponed until a new government is formed. But a Defense Ministry official said that only U.S. military aid programs were put back, and insisted that both Cambodia and the U.S. had agreed upon the delay.
The Ministry of National Defense on Tuesday morning called a press conference during which Lieutenant General Nem Sowath, director-general of the general department of policy and foreign affairs at the Defense Ministry, confirmed to reporters that some joint programs with the U.S. had been delayed. ...
“I want to explain that the word delay is different from suspend or cancel. Delay means now we put it off until later,” Lt. Gen. Sowath added, declining to say when the delay would be over. ...
He said Cambodia had received $477,000 of FMF money so far this year.
While the State Department does not publish up-to-date figures, in 2011, Cambodia was expected to receive $1 million of FMF funds in total. Total assistance from the U.S. to Cambodia was $76 million last year. ...
U.S. Embassy spokesman Sean McIntosh declined to name other countries whose aid programs had been delayed and stressed that only “limited” programs had been delayed in Cambodia.
“The affected number of U.S.-Cambodia bilateral activities largely involved senior leadership engagement. Working-level events are continuing as planned,” he said by email. ...
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