Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday turned down an offer of talks from former opposition leader Sam Rainsy to end a crisis caused by the dissolution of the main opposition party ahead of general elections set for July 29. In his speech he said he was not willing to talk to Sam Rainsy, citing the latter’s criminal convictions. The Supreme Court last November dissolved the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) and arrested its leader, Kem Sokha just several months before, accusing him of conspiring with the United States to oust his regime. Both CNRP and the United States embassy denied the allegation. Sam Rainsy resigned as president of the CNRP in 2017 but remains one of the government’s most visible critics. He has lived in France since 2015 to avoid a series of convictions he says are politically motivated.