The United States is urging Cambodia and Thailand to find a peaceful answer to their nineteen-month-old border dispute. American State Department official, Scot Marciel, expressed concern over the dispute during a visit to Cambodia Tuesday. He told reporters in Phnom Penh that the United States has friendly relations with both countries and hopes their leaders will work to reduce border tensions. Both Thailand and Cambodia claim ownership of an ancient Hindu religious building near their shared border. Their dispute intensified in July of two thousand eight when the United Nations gave special protection to the temple under Cambodian ownership.