希拉里敦促柬埔寨对中国保持独立

在为扩大华盛顿外交影响力访问亚太地区的行程期间，美国国务卿希拉里•克林顿(Hillary Clinton)敦促柬埔寨在经济和环境议题上保持对中国的独立。
克林顿周一对柬埔寨官员说，奥巴马政府愿就越战时期柬埔寨政府积累的近4.5亿美元债务探索新的偿还机制。
克林顿还对以洪森(Hun Sen)为首相的政府说，她将谋求为联合国支持的一个特别法庭筹措更多资金。设立这个特别法庭的目的，是为了审判红色高棉(Khmer Rouge)政府1975年到1979年执政期间在柬埔寨实施种族灭绝的领导人。
这家联合国支持的法庭将审判红色高棉的多数高官，按照计划，其中四人将于明年年初开始受审。但资金短缺和法官人选争议阻碍了审判进程。到目前为止，华盛顿为这家特别法庭提供了500万美元资金。

克林顿在与柬埔寨外交大臣贺南洪(Hor Namhong)联合举行的新闻发布会上说，我们决心帮助柬埔寨追究那些对各种暴行起了最大作用的红色高棉领导人的责任。她还说，我也希望敦促柬埔寨政府为特别法庭提供全力支持。
克林顿此行访问亚太地区七国，其目的是增强美国在亚太地区的存在，该地区正受到中国越来越大的经济和军事影响。柬埔寨是她访问的第三个国家。
克林顿上周六在越南出席了一个地区论坛，这个论坛的主要议题是中国同日本及多个东南亚国家之间日益激烈的海上领土争端。
美国官员私下担心，柬埔寨是最受北京影响的东南亚国家之一。中国是金边唯一最大的援助者，中国公司在柬埔寨基础设施领域占据支配性地位。在关键的地区安全议题上，洪森常常是站在北京一边。
克林顿周一在金边出席与柬埔寨学生举行的对话会，期间被问到她怎样看待洪森政府与中国的关系。她说，美国鼓励金边与北京之间建立密切关系，但她相信柬埔寨应当努力探索出一个独立的外交政策。
在新闻发布会上，柬埔寨外交大臣贺南洪拒绝就中柬关系置评。

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pressed Cambodia to remain independent of China on economic and environmental issues, as she continued a pan-Asian tour aimed at expanding Washington's diplomatic influence in the region.
Mrs. Clinton told Cambodian officials Monday that the Obama administration is willing to explore new mechanisms through which to retire nearly $450 million in debt accrued by Phnom Penh's Vietnam War-era government.
Mrs. Clinton also told Prime Minister Hun Sen's government that she will seek to raise more funding for a United Nations-backed tribunal set to try leaders of the Khmer Rouge government that committed genocide in Cambodia during its 1975-1979 reign.
The U.N.-supported court is scheduled to begin prosecuting four of the Khmer Rouge's most senior officials early next year, but financing shortfalls and squabbles over the selection of judges have hobbled the process. To date, Washington has provided $5 million to the tribunal.
'We are committed to help Cambodia hold accountable those senior Khmer Rouge leaders most responsible for atrocities,' Mrs. Clinton said at a news conference with her Cambodian counterpart, Hor Namhong. 'And I want to urge the Cambodian government to offer its full support to the Tribunal.'
Cambodia marks the third country stop on the Mrs. Clinton's seven-nation Asia-Pacific tour, which is aimed at enhancing the nation's presence in a region increasingly under the influence of China's economy and military.
On Saturday, Mrs. Clinton attended a regional conference in Vietnam that was dominated by China's festering maritime disputes with Japan and a number of Southeast Asian countries.
U.S. officials privately worry that Cambodia is one of the Southeast Asian nations most under Beijing's sway. China is among Phnom Penh's largest single aid donors, and Chinese firms dominate Cambodia's infrastructure sector. Prime Minister Hun Sen has often sided with Beijing on key regional security issues.
On Monday, Mrs. Clinton attended a town-hall meeting with Cambodian students in Phnom Penh and was asked her view on the Hun Sen government's relationship with China. She said the U.S. encouraged strong relations between Phnom Penh and Beijing but believed Cambodia should hew to an independent foreign policy.
Mr. Hor Namhong, the Cambodian foreign minister, declined to comment on China-Cambodia relations during the news conference.