UN "disappointed" at Khmer Rouge delay

The United Nations has expressed disappointment at a Cambodian decision to reconsider a law which would establish a tribunal to prosecute Khmer Rouge leaders.

The UN spokesman, Fred Eckhard, said the move was a setback.

He said it seemed as though the process was now starting at the bottom of the ladder again.

Earlier, the Cambodian Prime Minister, Hun Sen, said the draft legislation needed changes and would have to be approved for a second time. The law had been passed by both houses of parliament, and Cambodia's Constitutional Council. The UN envoy to Cambodia, Peter Leuprecht, said he hoped any delays could be kept to a minimum as the Cambodian people had been waiting more than twenty years for justice. The formula for the tribunal -- with a mixture of foreign and Cambodian judges -- was decided by Cambodia and the United Nations in April last year, but there have since been concerns over the slow pace of progress.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service