U.S. Rebuffs Cambodian Lawmakers’ Election of Co-Premier

The Clinton administration announced Wednesday that it will not recognize the parliamentary election of Ung Huot as Cambodia’s first prime minister because of the “great atmosphere of intimidation” that, according to senior U.S. officials, prevented about 17% of the nation’s legislators from voting.

But the statement fell short of a formal rejection of Cambodia’s new co-leader. Washington even held out the possibility of eventual recognition of Ung Huot if certain conditions, including the return of exiled politicians, are met.

“We have nothing personal against Ung Huot. We’ve worked with him in the past as foreign minister. Our main concern is the way he was put into office,” a U.S. official said.

In a secret ballot Wednesday, Ung Huot won 86 of 99 votes in Cambodia’s 120-seat parliament. However, about 20 members of parliament remain outside the country in the wake of last month’s coup by Second Prime Minister Hun Sen against First Prime Minister Prince Norodom Ranariddh. A subsequent purge included the killing of at least 40 royalist supporters.

The prince is the son of Cambodian King Norodom Sihanouk.

Ranariddh was not formally impeached nor did he face a no-confidence vote before being replaced, raising a constitutional dilemma concerning Wednesday’s vote in the view of the United States. “There is . . . a serious question about the legitimacy of the process,” the U.S. official said.

In the meantime, the current 30-day suspension of U.S. aid to the Cambodian government, due to expire later this week, probably will be renewed, the official said. But humanitarian aid will almost certainly continue through nongovernmental organizations.

The administration also announced that it is dispatching diplomat Desaix Anderson to talk with allies in Southeast Asia, visit the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, and help plan the next U.S. step.

But the election appears to be a fait accompli, especially after the limited impact of weekend talks between Hun Sen and the Assn. of Southeast Asian Nations. Washington had hoped ASEAN could persuade Hun Sen to remove obstacles preventing the return of exiles--in part by holding out as leverage membership, recently delayed, for Cambodia in the increasingly important economic bloc.

Hun Sen did appeal to the exiled opposition Monday to come back in time for Wednesday’s vote, pledging that the members’ jobs would be restored and their safety guaranteed. The exiles insisted they needed international guarantees, and none of them returned.

The ASEAN effort, a senior U.S. official conceded, turned out to be “disappointing.”

The bottom line, U.S. officials say, is that once again Hun Sen, who first edged his way into power after finishing second to Ranariddh in a 1993 election, has prevailed--at least for now.

After Wednesday’s vote, Hun Sen declared: “The crisis is now over. This is enough to show to the world that there has been no coup d’etat, no power grab.”

From abroad, Cambodia’s weakened opposition rejected the vote. “The appointment . . . by the National Assembly in an atmosphere of intimidation and fear of Mr. Ung Huot is totally illegal and can mislead only people who do not pay any attention at all to the rule of law,” the Union of Cambodian Democrats said in a statement released in Bangkok, Thailand. The UCD includes Ranariddh’s FUNCINPEC party and three other, small opposition groups.

The new government also has not won support from Sihanouk, who has declared that he would not recognize the selection of a replacement for his son because a vote by an incomplete parliament would be invalid. The monarch has not, however, condemned the ouster of his son as prime minister. Sihanouk was becoming increasingly frustrated with his son, according to Western diplomats.

Hun Sen said Wednesday that he and Ung Huot will soon travel to Beijing to seek the approval of Sihanouk, who has been in China for months receiving medical treatment.

But the king’s influence is questionable now. Before leaving for Beijing, he temporarily transferred his constitutional rights as head of state to Chea Sim, president of the National Assembly. Chea Sim is now empowered to ratify Ung Huot’s election, according to U.S. officials.

The Cambodian legislature also voted Wednesday to strip Ranariddh of parliamentary immunity--which opens the way, if he returns to the country, for him to face prosecution on charges of illegally negotiating with the Khmer Rouge guerrilla movement responsible for more than a million deaths in Cambodia in the 1970s.

The alleged secret dealings were the pretext for Hun Sen’s takeover of power, although both prime ministers courted the movement to increase their armies and clout.

After his election, Ung Huot said he will serve until 1998 elections. He pledged to help Cambodia “return to glory” by strengthening its fragile political and economic institutions.

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Who’s In, Who’s Out

The status of Cambodia’s political leaders illustrates the nation’s political instability.

PRINCE NORODOM RANARIDDH: Won the country’s 1993 election, served as first prime minister. Forced into exile last month. Replaced Wednesday in a parliamentary vote, but without being formally impeached or losing a no-confidence vote.

HUN SEN: Finished second in 1993 election, pushed his way into a coalition government and claimed the title second prime minister after threatening to join a secessionist movement. Led uprising that drove Ranariddh into exile.

UNG HUOT: Elected first prime minister Wednesday; U.S. refuses to recognize vote. He is without significant power, politically dependent on Hun Sen.