Statement by the Press Secretary/Director-General for Press and Public Relations of the Foreign Ministry on the Announcement of the Final Results of the General Election in Cambodia

September 2, 1998

1. The Government of Japan welcomes the announcement by the National Election Committee (NEC) of Cambodia on September 1 on the final results of the general election held there on July 26, following the deliberations of the Constitutional Council.
   
   
2. The Government of Japan believes that the general election was conducted in a sufficiently free and fair manner to an extent that enabled it to reflect, in a credible way, the will of the Cambodian people.
   
   
3. With the final election results confirmed by the NEC on September 1, the Government of Japan hopes that the three political parties which gained seats in the National Assembly will, in a spirit of national reconciliation, open talks as soon as possible and form a coalition government in a manner that reflects the will of the Cambodian people as expressed through the election, and that the new government will strive toward stabilizing the situation in Cambodia.
   
   
4. When such a new government is formed, the Government of Japan intends to strengthen its support for the economic development of Cambodia and the improvement of its people's livelihood.