Foreign donors open annual confab for aiding Cambodia

Tuesday June 19, 2:21 PM   Foreign donors open annual confab for aiding Cambodia   (Kyodo) _ A two-day meeting between the Cambodian government and international donors opened here Tuesday to decide on the level of aid disbursements to the country for 2007.   More than 100 representatives from 16 donor countries, including Japan and the United States, and from seven international financial organizations such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund are participating in the annual Consultative Group meeting.   The group has met annually since 1996 and as of today, Cambodia has received foreign aid worth more than $3 billion, an average of $500 million per year -- accounting for almost half the government's annual budget.   At last year's meeting, the donors pledged an aid package of $601 million for 2006.   Prime Minister Hun Sen, in his opening address to the group, promised to get his government "in touch" with several hot issues including the fight against corruption, land disputes, judicial reform, deforestation and good governance, over which his government has often been criticized by the donors.   Hun Sen also trumpeted his country's economic growth in recent years.   "During the last three years, the economic growth reached unprecedented rates on average of 11.4 percent per annum," he said.   In the opening session, Ian Porter, the World Bank's country director for Cambodia and co-chair of the meeting, applauded the government's commitment.   "There is no doubt that much good work has been done. But as some reforms take root, remaining problems, particularly in the area of governance, become an even more serious impediment," he said.   On Tuesday, U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia Joseph Mussomeli said progress has been made particularly in the health sector but much more needs to be done by the government.   "The Cambodian people would like to see more," he said, but added that his government will pledge some $60 million in aid to Cambodia as it did last year.   Cambodia is one of the world's poorest nations -- per capita income is less than $1 a day and 35 percent of the population of 14 million lives below the poverty line.