asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the recent announcement by the Vietnamese Government that it will withdraw its troops from Kampuchea by September, 1989; if, in view of this, the Government intend to recognise the Government of Kampuchea and support its right to hold its country's seat in the United Nations; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - Government of Kampuchea.
25.
I note the recent statement by Vietnam that it will withdraw its forces from Cambodia by the end of September 1989. The Vietnamese withdrawal, if it indeed takes place, will fulfil one of the conditions for a just and lasting solution to the conflict in Cambodia. Ireland recognises states, not Governments. We have abstained on the competing claims of the Heng Samrin regime in Phnom Penh on the one hand and the Democratic Kampuchea Coalition, which includes representatives of the Khmer Rouge, on the other, for the Cambodian seat at the UN.
We advocate a settlement entailing internationally supervised free elections so that a truly representative Government can be established in Cambodia, consistent with the interest and well-being of its people and preventing any return to the universally condemned policies and practices of the Pol Pot regime. We attach great importance to the role of Prince Sihanouk in the search for a comprehensive political settlement.