Copyright 2003 British Broadcasting Corporation
BBC Monitoring Asia Pacific - Political
Supplied by BBC Worldwide Monitoring

January 23, 2003, Thursday

LENGTH: 367 words
HEADLINE: Mekong River states meet in Phnom Penh to discuss transport
strategy
SOURCE: Agence Kampuchea Presse web site, Phnom Penh, in English 23
Jan 03
BODY:
Text of report in English by Cambodian news agency AKP web site
Phnom Penh, 23 January: The Mekong River Commission (MRC) Wednesday 22
January began a two-day regional consultation workshop among the six
countries sharing the Mekong River to promote and ensure freedom of
navigation on the river, according to New s Release of Mekong River
Commission.
The workshop will present a draft strategy for discussion by over 70
representatives from Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, China and
Myanmar Burma , international organizations, investment banks and
civil organizations on navigation and infrastructure development.
This regional consultation is an important event on the road to a new
navigation strategy for MRC's current navigation programme dated back
to 1994. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the workshop, Cambodian
Minister for Public Works and Transport Khy Taing Lim called for a
well-defined legal and operational navigation framework to be
established among the six countries. Such an approach, he said, "will
increase regional trade and provide a much-needed stimulus to the
ports of Can Tho in Vietnam and Phnom Penh in Cambodia."
"In Cambodia, it is estimated that only 16 per cent of the potential
to use the Mekong River for travel and transport is realized," the
minister, also chairman of the Cambodian National Mekong Committee,
said, adding that "a well-structured and regulated water transport
system will also benefit the Upper Mekong countries for tourism
development, trade and market access".
A study commissioned by the MRC recommends that opportunities to use
the river can be improved by increasing attention of policymakers to
inland waterway transport, improving the links among existing road,
rail and water transport, and promotion of river-sea links between
Cambodia and Vietnam.
The Mekong River is the largest and most important natural resource in
this region. Transportation on the river is the traditional mode of
transport and in many parts of the basin it is one of the only means
of transport. There are many social and economic reasons for making it
easier, quicker, safer and cleaner to travel the Mekong River.
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