After nearly five years of negotiations, the United Nations stated on February 8 that it was ending its effort to work with the Cambodian government to establish a war crimes tribunal to prosecute the leaders of the Khmer Rouge for the killing of an estimated 1.7 million people.

The United Nations withdrew from the negotiations because the Cambodia government repeatedly reneged on its agreements to accept key provisions of the proposed tribunal - including one that would have assured that no one would be exempt from prosecution. The tribunal was to have authority to try those who had the greatest responsibility for mass murder in Cambodia, but only a handful of senior leaders of the Khmer Rouge were expected to face trial.

U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan said the United Nations had to disassociate itself from the effort because the Cambodian government was jeopardizing the tribunal's "independence, impartiality, and objectivity," a UN spokesman said.

Although many U.S. government officials expressed disappointment that the United Nations withdrew from the negotiations, human rights advocates said the United Nations had no choice but to withdraw from the talks.

Cambodia has vowed to press on with the creation of the tribunal, with or without U.N. assistance.