By Rozanna Latiff
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump will visit Malaysia on Oct. 26, Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan said on Tuesday, adding he was “looking forward” to seeing a ceasefire agreement between Southeast Asian neighbors Thailand and Cambodia.
Tension over undemarcated points on the two nations’ 817-kilometer (508-mile) land border erupted into a deadly five-day conflict in July, killing at least 48 people and temporarily displacing hundreds of thousands in their worst fighting in more than a decade.
“During the summit, we hope to see the signing of a declaration, known as the Kuala Lumpur Agreement, between these two neighbors to ensure peace and a lasting ceasefire,” Mohamad told media.
Mohamad was referring to a meeting of Association of Southeast Asian Nations leaders to be held Oct. 26-28 in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur.
He said Trump was “waiting” to witness the agreement, without giving details of how and when that message had been conveyed.
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Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the current ASEAN chair, has said Trump will attend the meetings, but there has been no official confirmation from Washington yet.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but a person familiar with the matter said the trip is being planned.
Malaysia negotiated an initial ceasefire on July 28 that ended the fighting after a sustained peace push by Anwar and phone calls from Trump to the leaders of both nations.
Malaysia and the United States will facilitate a broader ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia, which will require both sides to remove all mines and heavy artillery from their borders, Mohamad said.
On Sunday, the Thai Foreign Ministry said foreign ministers from both countries met in Kuala Lumpur over the weekend to discuss the ceasefire, with US and Malaysian officials present.
Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow told reporters on Tuesday that he would travel to Kuala Lumpur this week for further talks, highlighting four demands made by Bangkok.
According to Thai officials, these include the removal of heavy weapons from the border, the removal of landmines in disputed territories, cooperation to combat transnational crime and invasion in some areas.
“Right now, negotiations are moving forward,” Sihasak said.
A spokesperson for Cambodia’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to questions from Reuters.
The East Asia Summit, which will be held during this month’s ASEAN meeting, will issue a presidential statement, rather than a joint statement, as the United States had objected to the use of the word “inclusiveness,” Mohamad added, without elaborating.
The summit will be attended by the leaders of the group’s 10 members and trade partners, such as China, Japan, Russia and the United States.
(Reporting by Rozanna Latiff; Additional reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt and Panarat Thepgumpanat; Writing by Danial Azhar; Editing by David Stanway, Clarence Fernandez and Alison Williams)