PHNOM PENH, Jan 26: Cambodia’s foreign minister said on Monday he and his Thai counterpart had agreed to begin demarcating their disputed border and try to end a stand-off which last year boiled over into a military clash.

Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said he and visiting Thai minister Kasit Piromya agreed they must end a dispute over land near an ancient temple, where troops from both nations clashed on Oct 15, leaving four soldiers dead.

“The demarcation of the border at Preah Vihear temple and discussions over troops is an urgent priority,” Hor Namhong told reporters after the meeting.

“Both sides — Cambodia and Thailand — agreed to set up a date from Feb 2 to 4 in which the joint border commission will start to demarcate territory.” Thailand’s defence minister will then visit Cambodia on Feb 6 to discuss withdrawing troops from disputed territory around the 11th century Khmer temple, he added.

Hor Namhong said the two countries agreed to “peaceful and friendly” negotiations and would also form a joint commission before March to settle overlapping claims in the Gulf of Thailand.

Kasit later told reporters in Bangkok that Thailand too was committed to a peaceful resolution to the spat.

“Negotiation will be used to find a solution — there will be no use of force,” he said in a teleconference from Phnom Penh, where he also met Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni and Premier Hun Sen.

The Cambodia-Thailand border has never been fully demarcated, in part because it is littered with landmines left over from decades of war in Cambodia.

Tensions flared in July when the cliff-top Preah Vihear temple, which is in Cambodia, was awarded United Nations World Heritage status, rekindling the long-running disagreement. —AFP