Mekong river body opens new headquarters
PHNOM PENH -
The four-country Mekong River
Commission (MRC) inaugurated its
new headquarters on a bank of the
Mekong river on Tuesday in the
southern outskirts of the Cambodian
capital Phnom Penh.
Prime Minister Hun Sen presided
over the opening and said the
development of the Mekong River
was vital for Cambodia and for tens
of millions of people living along its
banks.
``The sustainable development of the
Mekong river -- hydro-electricity,
transport, bridges, fisheries...is not
only the aim of the MRC, it is also a
main policy of the Cambodian
government,'' Hun Sen said.
The Mekong River Commission,
which includes representatives from
Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and
Vietnam, works to promote
sustainable development of water
and resources in the river's lower
basin.
The chairman of the commission,
Vietnam's Minister of Agriculture and
Rural Development, Le Huy Ngo,
said its long-term aim was an
economically prosperous, socially
just and environmentally sound
Mekong River basin.
Under an agreement signed last year
Cambodia will share responsibility
for hosting the headquarters with
Laos. The headquarters will alternate
between Vientiane and Phnom Penh
every five years.
Reuters - May 4, 1999.
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