THE HAGUE: Cambodia and Thailand have agreed to work towards resolving their dispute over a swathe of the Gulf of Thailand with undersea energy reserves worth US$300 billion, international mediators said on Monday.
The southeast Asian nations have for decades pushed rival claims over maritime territories and the demarcation of their 800km land border.
Cambodia sought international conciliation in June after Thailand pulled out of their 2001 agreement to exploit offshore oil and gas resources in a 27,000-square-kilometre chunk of maritime territory to which both nations lay claim.
Their border disputes erupted into fighting last year that killed dozens of people. Each side has accused the other of violating a ceasefire agreement signed in December.
On Monday, the United Nations-backed Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague said the two governments had accepted "to engage constructively in the conciliation process."
It said they had agreed not to attack the dispute resolution procedure, refrain from disinformation and public statements that could whip up tensions and "preserve the status quo in the maritime areas" in dispute.
It said the "confidence-building measures" were designed to improve trust and communication between the two sides.
Last month, Thailand accused Cambodia of "playing the victim."
In May, Bangkok pulled out of a bilateral agreement aimed at resolving their overlapping maritime border claims.
The PCA was set up in 1899 to help resolve international disputes between states, intergovernmental organisations and private parties.
It said it expected to hold further sessions on the Cambodia-Thailand dispute "in the coming months."--AFP
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