More talks planned on temple row

The soldiers are coexisting peacefully at the site, officials say

Cambodia says it will hold off referring a territorial dispute with Thailand to the UN, after the two sides agreed to hold further talks.

Foreign ministers will meet in the Cambodian city of Siem Reap on Monday to discuss the row over Preah Vihear temple, both sides confirmed.

Hundreds of troops remained camped out near the 11th Century hill-top site on their mutual border.

Previous talks between the two sides have failed to resolve the dispute.

"I talked with [Cambodian] Prime Minister Hun Sen a while ago and we agreed that our foreign ministers will hold a meeting in Siem Reap on 28 July," Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej told journalists.

"Prime Minister Hun Sen also told me that he will withdraw the issue from the United Nations," he said.

A new Thai foreign minister will be appointed for the talks, Mr Samak said. The previous one, Noppadon Pattama, was forced to resign over the issue.

Cambodian Information Minister Khieu Kanharith confirmed his side would "postpone the complaint to the Security Council".

Backlash

The troop build-up at Preah Vihear began on 15 July.

Tensions driving the temple row In pictures: Preah Vihear

An international court awarded the temple to Cambodia in 1962 but land surrounding it remains the subject of rival territorial claims.

A decision by Unesco earlier this month to list the temple as Cambodia's second World Heritage Site triggered a nationalist backlash from some groups in Thailand.

Thai troops moved into an area both sides claim more than a week ago, after Cambodian guards arrested three Thai protesters there.

Since then, both sides have increased their military presence. Several thousand troops are now reported to be in and around the temple area.

But so far the stand-off has remained peaceful and the atmosphere calm at the temple area.