“They [Asean] have asked us to keep a low profile,” he said, “but there’s a real chance that events will improve for the better in Cambodia. We must give them a chance to take their message to Hun Sen”.”You can’t have mediation by 20 countries,” said Nicholas Burns, spokesman for the US Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, who discussed the problem with foreign ministers from Asean and China, Japan, Russia and the European Union.The governments of Asean, which include Indonesia, Malay-sia, Singapore and Thailand, played a central role in framing the Paris Peace Accord, which laid the groundwork for Cambodia’s first elections, sponsored by the United Nations, in 1993. Realistic hopes of restoring the democratically elected first prime minister of Cambodia who was deposed in a coup were abandoned over the weekend, as Western leaders entrusted the conflict to the Association of South- East Nations (Asean), effectively washing their hands of the problem. The Asean Regional Forum (ARF), a gathering of foreign ministers from Asia and the West, agreed yesterday that Asean countries should take the lead in mediating between Hun Sen, the so-called “second prime minister” of Cambodia, and Prince Norodom Ranariddh, the “first prime minister” whom he deposed in a bloody coup on 5 July.
Privately, diplomats at the meeting in Malaysia acknowledged Hun Sen’s seizure of power is a fait accompli, that Prince Ranariddh’s role is over, and the best that can be hoped for is a peaceful build-up to elections planned for next May.Jacques Poos, the Foreign Minister of Luxembourg, which holds the presidency of the European Union, announced that Cambodia had accepted an offer of 9m ecus to pay for monitoring of the elections, and expressed optimism over Cambodia.

Others fear Taylor may pursue his close ties to Libya, Nigeria and shady international businessmen. The US has always opposed Taylor, who faces criminal charges there. And Liberians themselves worry the country may become excluded from international circles because of these links with pariah states and the international black economy.It remains to be seen whether the ruthlessness with which Taylor has pursued his quest for power will persist into peace-time. Liberians have voted for peace alone, and they seem confident that the war is truly over Many former fighters have been reintegrated into society The Liberians now believe in democracy. Many were heard to say that if Taylor does not prove himself, they can always vote him out in four years’ time.. The British government recently presented its credentials to the interim government for the first time since the war started, in recognition of the progress made towards peace and democracy.

Many observers said voters in rural areas had not even heard of the other candidates.But Taylor’s victory is due to more than just successful electioneering. Liberians have voted for the man they see as most capable to lead them into a new era. “The wise man changes”, they say, optimistic that the habits of wartime will be discarded for a future of development. They point out that all the former warlords stole money from the country.Taylor, his supporters argue, will bring his money back, investing in his future as leader. Taylor’s faction, the NPFL, was the strongest, for years controlling the flow of profits from the upcountry riches of timber, diamonds, gold and rubber. The formation of successive interim governments in the capital Monrovia has only entrenched the power of the warlords over this wealth, as government appointees from the factions have taken corruption to unprecedented heights. Everything in Liberia is for sale, even, it is rumoured, the more lucrative positions in the new government.Many believe Taylor’s success in the elections stems from the wealth he accumulated in the war.