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Cambodian mission

PHNOM PENH: U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher arrived in Cambodia on Friday saying he was on mission to seal democracy in the strife-torn Southeast Asian country.

"It's a special privilege for me to set foot on the soil of a free and independent Cambodia... As we all know, the survival of democracy cannot be taken for granted," he told reporters amid tight security.

Christopher is the first U.S. secretary of state to visit Cambodia since John Foster Dulles in 1955.

"I am here to urge you and to help you consolidate the institutions of democracy... Cambodia has come remarkably far in overcoming a generation of conflict, terror and genocide," he said at Phnom Penh airport.

A senior foreign ministry official confirmed democracy would be on the agenda during talks with Cambodia Foreign Minister Ung Huot.

Christopher, who is travelling with his wife and a large security entourage, leaves Cambodia on Saturday for Vietnam.-Reuter