SA KAEW: -- An eight-hour meeting between Thailand and Cambodia to solve military stand off near Preah Vihear Temple failed to reach any breakthrough on Monday.

Both countries will remain number of their troops and weapons there and will order their troops not to use forces in the area.

Supreme Commander Gen Boonsang Niempradit and Cambodia's Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Gen Tea Banh who chaired the special meeting of the General Border Commission emerged at a press conference after nearly eight hours of meeting in Indochina Hotel in Sa Kaew's Aranyaprathet district.

The meeting was called as the military stand off near Preah Vihear Temple reached the six days. Both countries deployed troops and weapons to a plot of 4.6 square kilometre near the temple. The Thai side claimed that the areas are overlapping zones while Cambodia claimed it is in its territory.

Both Boonsang and Tea Banh cited legislation and legal technicalities as obstacles in reaching any agreement on the issue.

Gen Tea Banh told reporters that both sides tried to lower down the degree of tension during the meeting but failed due to the legislationa and legal technicalities.

Boonsang declined to answer when asked if the meeting was a failure. They said both troops will avoid using forces in the area. They will forward the outcome of the meeting to their prime ministers for consideration.

-- The Nation 2008-07-21