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U.N. Cambodia ink deal on Khmer trials

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia, June 6 (UPI) -- The United Nations and Cambodia signed a deal Friday that would allow members of the Khmer Rouge to be tried for war crimes.

The agreement was signed by U.N. Legal Counsel Hans Corell and Cambodian Senior Minister Sok An, the United Nations said in a statement. The two sides agreed to prosecute, under Cambodian law, crimes committed between 1975 and 1979 when Cambodia was run by Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot.

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"With this step, the quest of the Cambodian people for justice, national reconciliation, stability, peace and security is brought closer to realization," Corell said.

Once ratified by the Cambodian National Assembly, Friday's deal sets up an Extraordinary Chambers within the Cambodian court structure with the power to try top Khmer Rouge leaders. The United Nations will pay the estimated $19 million needed for the 3-year effort.

The Khmer Rouge's "Killing Fields" led to 1.7 million deaths.

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