Cambodian Foes OK Talks Amid Protests

Rival Cambodian parties Monday agreed to a meeting as a step toward ending a political deadlock, a mediator said, even as police and anti-government demonstrators clashed again in this capital.

In two separate demonstrations Monday, the protesters demanded the ouster of leader Hun Sen, supporting opposition claims that he used fraud to win parliamentary elections July 26.

At a news conference after meeting with ruling party and opposition leaders, Thai Deputy Foreign Minister Sukhumbhand Paribatra said the main parties had agreed to end demonstrations, attend a meeting hosted by King Norodom Sihanouk and have parliament convene as scheduled Sept. 24.

The violent clashes have been daily events since Sept. 7, when the government began cracking down after weeks of relatively peaceful protests against the election.

Four people have been confirmed killed and scores injured in the worst violence since Hun Sen deposed Prince Norodom Ranariddh as co-prime minister in a bloody coup last year.

Although Hun Sen won a majority of seats in the assembly in the disputed July elections, he did not gain the two-thirds necessary to form a new government.

The protests erupted Monday despite appeals by opposition leader Ranariddh. A morning rally drew roughly 1,500 people, and an afternoon protest drew about 400.