ROANOKE TIMES 

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, June 15, 1993                   TAG: 9306150116
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA                                LENGTH: Medium

CAMBODIA REINSTATES PRINCE AS HEAD OF STATE

Some 23 years after he was ousted by a U.S.-backed coup, Prince Norodom Sihanouk was formally reinstated as Cambodia's head of state Monday and quickly confronted a secession movement led by an estranged son.

Sihanouk urged the new National Assembly to restrain rebellious leaders of the outgoing government who declared seven of Cambodia's 21 provinces autonomous to protest losing the assembly election to a party led by another Sihanouk son.

U.N. officials said secessionist forces had clashed daily with troops of the victorious FUNCINPEC party since the declaration of autonomy Saturday. They had no reports of casualties.

The 120-member assembly, meeting for the first time since U.N.-supervised voting last month, is to adopt a democratic constitution within three months and then form a government under a peace accord designed to end 13 years of civil war in Cambodia.

But it faces a formidable task. The secessionists control 40 percent of the country, while the Communist Khmer Rouge guerrillas - who boycotted the election - control an additional 20 percent.

The assembly approved a resolution declaring illegal the U.S.-backed 1970 military coup that deposed Sihanouk after three decades as head of state. It conferred on him all powers necessary to lead the country. He has served as interim head of state since the 1991 peace agreement.

Sihanouk, 72, the only leader generally acceptable to all factions, urged the delegates to end "without delay the partition of Cambodia and return to our beloved and respected people the peace of which nobody has the right to deprive them."

The U.N. mission chief, Yasushi Akashi, told the assembly: "I wish to make the strongest possible plea to all of you to bury the hatchet of yesterday - to cease mutual recriminations."

In a sign of support for the assembly, Premier Hun Sen attended the session before heading to one of the secessionist provinces Monday. 


 by CNB