By Rozanna Latiff and Mandy Leong
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 22 (Reuters) - Thailand and Cambodia agreed on Monday to hold a December 24 meeting of defence officials towards resuming a months-old ceasefire, as fierce border fighting between them entered a third week with at least 80 people killed so far.
The decision was taken on Monday during a special meeting in Kuala Lumpur of Southeast Asian foreign ministers, who were trying to salvage a truce first brokered by ASEAN chair Malaysia and U.S. President Donald Trump after a previous round of deadly clashes in July.
Thailand and Cambodia have engaged in daily exchanges of rockets and artillery along their 817-km (508-mile) land border following the collapse of the truce, with fighting at multiple points stretching from forested regions near Laos to the coastal provinces of the Gulf of Thailand.
The top diplomats of the 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations urged both countries to exercise maximum restraint and take immediate steps to halt fighting, while welcoming the planned meeting on Wednesday of the General Border Committee, a long-established mechanism for bilateral talks.
"The ASEAN foreign ministers expressed hope for de-escalation of hostilities as soon as possible," said a statement from ASEAN chair Malaysia, adding discussions would include ceasefire implementation and verification.
Speaking to reporters at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, Trump referred again to the Thailand-Cambodia conflict as one of the eight wars he had stopped around the world, and added: "Thailand is starting to shape up. You know, they started with Cambodia, they started up again. But I think ... we have that in pretty good shape..."
SIGNIFICANT STEP
The decision to hold talks is the most significant step since fighting re-erupted, with neither Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim nor Trump able to bring the two countries to the table this time after various calls to their leaders.
Five days into the conflict, Trump said the premiers of Thailand and Cambodia had both agreed to "cease all shooting," but the clashes continued the following day, with Bangkok launching more air strikes and vowing to keep on fighting.
China has also pressed both sides to step back, with its special envoy for Asian affairs Deng Xijun holding talks in Bangkok and Phnom Penh in recent days.
Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said his country wanted a "true ceasefire" with a detailed implementation plan and firm commitment from Cambodia.
He said neither the U.S. nor China had been involved in the decision on bilateral talks, adding it was about Thailand and Cambodia "working things out".
"A ceasefire cannot just be declared, it needs a discussion," Sihasak told a briefing in Kuala Lumpur.
"The Cambodians want a ceasefire, let's have a discussion on a ceasefire. We proposed that our two militaries should meet as soon as possible."
The location of the meeting was not immediately clear, but Sihasak said Thailand proposed the borderline in the Thai province of Chanthaburi. Cambodia's defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
THAI OUTRAGE OVER LANDMINES
Bangkok and Phnom Penh each accuse the other of aggression and violations of an enhanced ceasefire reached in October in Malaysia in Trump's presence, during which they committed to demining and withdrawing troops and heavy weapons from areas over which sovereignty has been contested bitterly for decades.
Thailand has vented its fury over what it says are landmines being newly laid by Cambodia, among the world's most landmine-plagued countries. Phnom Penh rejects the accusation.
Cambodia's defence ministry said Thailand had violated its sovereignty on Monday with more "armed aggression" and vowed to defend its territory "at any cost".
Thailand's army said Cambodia had carried out intermittent artillery attacks and used drones to drop bombs, adding Thai forces had responded with air strikes and artillery on military positions.
Monday's ASEAN gathering was the first face-to-face meeting involving the two governments since the fighting resumed on December 8, in rare conflict between member states that has tested the bloc's resolve.
Opening the meeting, Malaysia's foreign minister urged the bloc to play a more forceful role.
"Our goal goes beyond de-escalating the tension. We must intensify trust-building among the conflicting parties and provide the horizons for dialogue despite the prevailing differences," Mohamad Hasan said.
(Reporting by Rozanna Latiff in Kuala Lumpur; Additional reporting by Ashley Tang and Mandy Leong in Kuala Lumpur, Chayut Setboonsarng and Panu Wongcha-um in Bangkok, Steve Holland in Mar-a-Lago and David Brunnstrom and Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Saad Sayeed, Gareth Jones and Matthew Lewis)
