The U.S. is still holding its position regarding the Khmer Rouge tribunal despite the fact that the Cambodian and international jurists begin the proceedings in the former Khmer Rouge trial.
The U.S. specifies that it can support the tribunal if this tribunal is not for a show, says Embassy spokesman in Phnom Penh, Jeff Daigle by telephone.
Seventeen Cambodian and 10 international judges swore-in on Monday for the Khmer Rouge tribunal to try former Khmer Rouge leaders blamed for the death of about one million 700,000 people during its genocidal regime from 1975-1979, and crime against humanity.
The tribunal with the U.N. and Cambodia parties participation, is projected to be spending more than $56 million in budget.
The U.S. still has not shown its clear position either directly supporting the tribunal or not.
Mr. Daigle says that the U.S. position in the Khmer Rouge tribunal remains the same. He says that the important thing is that there should be a tribunal, but that it should not be just for a show trial. If the tribunal has an international standard, then the U.S. will support it.
The U.S. is reported as giving at least an additional $2 million this year to NGOs in many projects such as education, researches involving Khmer Rouge genocide, even though the U.S. has not participated in the tribunal proceedings.
Khmer Rouge tribunal spokesman Reach Sambath expresses his enthusiasm toward U.S. indirect aid, but hoping that it may change its position.
