PHNOM PENH, Oct 14 (AFP) - Cambodia's foreign minister said Wednesday that premier Hun Sen will raise the Thai border spat at an upcoming regional summit despite opposition from Thailand, which is hosting the meeting.
"The prime minister will raise the issue in... the (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) ASEAN summit," Hor Namhong told reporters.
He said the dispute -- which has sparked several deadly troop skirmishes -- remained up for discussion at ASEAN since Thailand had not officially responded to his proposal to include it in the October 23-25 summit.
"Because there is no answer from Thailand to my official proposal, Cambodia still considers that Prime Minister Hun Sen can raise the dispute in the ASEAN summit," Hor Namhong said at a press conference.
The spat focuses on an area of land around the 11th century Preah Vihear temple, where clashes have killed seven soldiers since last year.
Hor Namhong added that Cambodia was willing to raise the issue in other international bodies, including the United Nations Security Council, and accused Thailand of delaying a resolution to the dispute.
A spokesman for the Thai foreign affairs ministry told AFP Tuesday that his country would continue to seek a peaceful solution with Cambodia but believed the dispute should not be raised at ASEAN or "internationalised".
Cambodia and Thailand have been at loggerheads over the land around Preah Vihear for decades, but nationalist tensions spilled over into violence in July last year when the temple was granted UNESCO World Heritage status.
The World Court ruled in 1962 that it belonged to Cambodia.
Soldiers from both countries continue to patrol the area, with the last gun battle near the temple area in April leaving three people dead.
The border between the two nations has never been fully demarcated, partly because it is littered with landmines left over from decades of war in Cambodia.
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