SINGAPORE: Asean held crisis talks with member states Thailand and Cambodia on Tuesday but failed to defuse a military standoff which is threatening to escalate into an unprecedented test for the regional bloc.

The unscheduled talks took place behind closed doors during annual ministerial meetings here as Cambodia called for an emergency session of the UN Security Council to defuse the crisis which flared last week.

“Both ministers from Thailand and Cambodia basically gave briefings on the issue,” an Asian diplomat said.

“Cambodia wants it resolved through Asean but the Thai side wants it resolved bilaterally,” he added.

When asked if any progress had been made towards a resolution, he replied: “Nothing”.More than 500 Thai troops are facing off against at least 1,000 Cambodian soldiers around a small Buddhist pagoda on disputed land near the ruins of an 11th-century temple, which belongs to Cambodia.

No shots have been fired since the long-running dispute erupted into a military standoff last week, but some senior ASEAN officials said they were concerned it was escalating.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Rais Yatim said the dispute was “not only relevant in terms of the problems that we see between the two states but also could be a test for ASEAN.” “For the first time now two of its members are facing what we call a border predicament.” ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan said after the meeting the atmosphere had been “friendly” but he gave no indication progress had been made.

“Asean still insisted on the statement that the chairman put out Sunday evening that expects the two sides to find amicable solutions to the issues between them,” he said.

Before the talks he said Asean ministers were divided between those who thought the situation was under control and “another interpretation is that it is escalating.” Bilateral talks on Monday failed to resolve the dispute and Cambodia sent a letter to the United Nations on Tuesday demanding an emergency meeting of the Security Council to avoid an “armed confrontation.” A Thai military official conceded in Bangkok that the two sides were at a stalemate, and confirmed that Thailand was resisting any foreign mediation.

The World Court ruled in 1962 that the Preah Vihear temple belonged to Cambodia but the most accessible entrance lies in Thailand and the surrounding land remains in dispute, stirring nationalist sentiment in both countries.

Tensions flared last week when three Thais tried to enter the temple, leading both nations to send troops to the border.

Rais said the two sides should “exercise utmost restraint” in the “spirit of ASEAN,” which is founded on consensus-building and dialogue between countries with varying levels of development and political systems.

The crisis talks came two days before a meeting here this week of Asia’s main security forum, featuring Asean plus 17 partners including the United States and China.

Those discussions are expected to be dominated by efforts to disarm North Korea, with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice due to meet North Korean Foreign Minister Pak Ui-chun at informal talks for the first time.

The Wednesday meeting will take place as part of informal consultations with their counterparts from South Korea, China, Japan and Russia, representing the six parties trying to dismantle North Korea’s nuclear programme.

Rice has played down the significance of her meeting with Pak, and the White House said on Monday that North Korea remained in what US President George Bush dubbed an “axis of evil” along with Iran.—AFP