US President Donald Trump has asked Thailand and Cambodia to sign a peace deal while he attends the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur later this month, according to informed sources at the Foreign Ministry.
The sources said Trump wants to “preside” over the proposed signing for a “photo op.”
ASEAN leaders are scheduled to attend the summit between October 26-28 in Kuala Lumpur, along with other invited leaders, including US President Donald Trump.
US news outlet Politico reported that the White House has informed Malaysian officials that Trump is willing to attend the summit if he is permitted to “preside over a ceremonial signing of a peace deal between Cambodia and Thailand.”
If approved, the event would provide Trump with a platform on which to highlight, what he has described as, his decisive role in ending a five-day border conflict between Cambodia and Thailand in July, a clash that led to casualties and mass displacements on both sides.
However there have not yet been any reports on the schedule of a signing ceremony between the two countries during the upcoming summit.
Trump has never hesitated to claim that he should be the recipient of a Nobel Peace Prize for, what he describes as, ending wars around the world, including the Thai-Cambodian conflict.
In August, Cambodia officially nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, citing his pivotal role in defusing recent hostilities along the border.
