The 32nd Session of the World Heritage Committee on Tuesday unanimously approved the inscription of Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage Site. Preah Vihear temple became one of 13 new sites protected under the World Heritage list, which allows Cambodia to tap into $4 million in the World Heritage Fund money set aside for preserving and promoting this year’s heritage sites. According to Unesco, the temple was inscribed for three reasons: its location atop sheer cliffs overlooking a vast plain and mountain range; its architecture adapted to the natural environment and religious function of the temple; and the quality of its carved stone ornamentation. The temple was first nominated for heritage status in 1992, according to the Unesco Web site. Giovanni Boccardi, Unesco’s Chief of Unit for East Asia and the Pacific, said Committee Chair Christina Cameron took up the proposal at about 3 PM Monday in Quebec-2 am Tuesday in Phnom Penh. ”She explained this was a complicated matter,” Boccardi said by telephone Tuesday evening. ” And then she pressed it to the committee. There was no debate, and the decision was accepted unanimously,” he said. After the decision, Cabinet Minister Sok An, who led the Cambodian delegation, pledged that Cambodia would do whatever it could to ensure the site in protected, Boccardi said. Council of Ministers adviser Pen Ngoeun, who said he tossed his paperwork into the air at 3 am when he heard the news, said the listing ended months of late nights and headaches. Now, Unesco will assess the needs of the temple and draw from international funds to revitalize the crumbling structure, he said. ”We will have international cooperation, Thailand included; if Thailand would like to be a part of that,” Pen Ggoeun said. ”It’s now a World Heritage Site and the responsibility of the world,” he said. Teruo Jinnai, Unesco representative for Cambodia, wrote by e-mail Tuesday that Cambodia, still has a lot to do to “be in line with the requirements of the [World Heritage] Convention.” Jinnai said the World Heritage Committee recommended that Cambodia invite Thailand to collaborate for the safeguarding and development of Preah Vihear temple. Information Minister and government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said Tuesday that the temple’s inscription did not symbolize a win over Thailand. Thai opposition parties turned the inscription process into a battle instead of a chance for unity, Khieu Kanharith wrote by e-mail. ”The Royal Government of Cambodia is pleased with the decision, but we do not consider it as the victory over Thailand, for the move to scuttle Cambodia effort was from opposition parties. We expected to promote Preah Vihear as a bond of friendship between the two countries,” he said. Political scientist Raoul Jennar called Cambodia’s successful heritage bid a diplomatic feat. After the blow to bilateral relations from the 2003 anti-Thai riots, Jennar said Phnom Penh found points of interest with Thailand and compromised on key issues to get the temple listed. By modifying the heritage list proposal to not include contested border areas surrounding the temple, Jennar said Cambodia kept its bid alive and provided an airtight case for the World Heritage Committee. There was a celebratory mood in Phnom Penh on news of the temple’s listing. At 9:30 am, Royal University of Phnom Penh Director Lav Chhiv Eav read a statement from Prime Minister Hun Sen to 1,000-plus students gathered at the university. ”This is the third great Khmer heritage to be accept [to the World Heritage List], after Angkor Wat temple in 1992 and Royal Ballet in 2003,”Hun Sen said in the statement, which was also broadcast on radio and television. Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan said every pagoda in every province was instructed to bang their drums simultaneously at 10 am. At 10:30 am, about 100 people prayed in front of The Royal Palace and offered flowers and fruits to the gods for delivering the temple’s inscription, said Moeung Sonn, president of the Khmer Civilization Foundation. And from 7 pm to 11 pm Tuesday, singers and dancers performed at Phnom Penh’s Wat Phnom, in a show that was scheduled to end with fireworks. Hang Soth, secretary-general of the Preah Vihear National Authority, said guards and vendors celebrated at the temple. ”They were happy and danced,” Hang Soth said, adding that only seven Thai demonstrators remain camped on the Thai side of the locked border gate. The Preah Vihear National Authority is preparing a “Huge” ceremony this month at the temple to celebrate the news, Hang Soth said.