The territorial dispute between Cambodia and Thailand over 4.6 sq km of land near the ancient Preah Vihear temple can only be resolved through negotiations. Maintaining thousands of soldiers in the area in the hope of achieving a solution through intimidation or military might is pointless. Centuries of turf wars have toughened resolve. Joint military patrols agreed to yesterday will calm the latest flare-up, but lasting peace will only come through a deal struck by technocrats pouring over maps.

Four months of tension driven by nationalism and politics led to the clash on Wednesday that left two Cambodian soldiers dead and troops on both sides injured. The prospect of full-scale conflict was immediate and it is good that cool heads have prevailed. Talks between politicians and military commanders seem to have taken the heat out of a dangerous situation. Those discussions must continue with greater resolve, with an eye on soldiers being pulled out. Eventually, a pact involving either a redrawing of the boundary, carving up of the land or turning it over to shared use is needed.

Ordering the troops out of the trenches they have dug will be the easy part. Political turmoil in Thailand shows no sign of abating; embattled Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat would be hard-pressed to make concessions to rival Cambodians amid the ultra-nationalism spawned by opposition forces pushing ever-harder for his government's removal. Nor are Cambodians, mindful of how their country has been squeezed territorially by Thailand and Vietnam since the decline of the mighty Khmer empire eight centuries ago, likely to give up more of their precious land. The precise area - 181,035 sq km - is drummed into every school child. Anti-Thai sentiment is rife; the Thai embassy was torched and Thai businesses looted during protests in 2003.