Thailand’s top diplomat said on Monday that a now-broken pact with Cambodia to prolong a truce in their deadly border conflict was rushed by Washington ahead of a signing ceremony overseen by US President Donald Trump.

“I’ve noted that we were sometimes in a rush to do the (joint) declaration. Because the United States wanted the declaration signed in time by the visit of President Trump,” Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said of an agreement signed in Kuala Lumpur in October and paused the following month.

“I mean the earliest, the earlier the better, but sometimes we really need to sit down… so that things that we agree will really hold, really be respected,” he told reporters in the Malaysian capital.

Sihasak added that Cambodia and Thailand had agreed to more discussions to end their deadly border conflict this week, after crisis talks in Malaysia.

“The discussion will be held in the framework of the JBC, joint boundary committee, which is already existing. And the meeting is scheduled, and this is proposed by the Cambodian side, on the 24th of December,” he said. (AFP)