Kuala lumpur: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio welcomed the General Border Committee meeting in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday as "an important step forward in solidifying the ceasefire arrangement and establishing the ASEAN observation mechanism." "President Trump and I expect the governments of Cambodia and Thailand to fully honor their commitments to end this conflict," Rubio said in a press release. "We remain grateful to Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for his leadership and for hosting the ceasefire process, a direct result of his willingness to co-organize with the United States the July 28 Special Meeting to address the conflict. "We look forward to supporting Malaysia, ASEAN, and both countries as this process moves forward," he added.
According to Kuwait News Agency, during its meeting, the General Border Committee agreed to deploy temporary ASEAN monitoring teams along the Cambodian-Thai borders to support the ceasefire, pending the launch of a full ASEAN-led observer mission headed by Malaysia.
The meeting was co-chaired by Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Tea Seiha and Thai Deputy Defense Minister General Natthaphon Nakphanit, with representatives of Malaysia, the United States, and China attending.
The ceasefire deal, brokered by Malaysia and backed by the United States and China, was reached on July 28 following intense clashes near the disputed border area of Preah Vihear temple.