The deadly conflict on the Thai-Cambodian border pits a longtime United States ally with decades of experience against a relatively young armed force with close ties to China.

Thailand has not yet commented on the proposal, as fighting continues for a third day with 32 confirmed killed.

The UN has called for a peaceful solution to the latest flare-up in the long-running border conflict between the two nations.

Thailand and Cambodia exchanged heavy artillery fire for a second day on Friday as their worst fighting in over a decade intensified and spread to new areas.

Of course, trouble at the 508-mile (817 km) shared border is nothing new. For over a century, Thailand and Cambodia have contested sovereignty at various undemarcated points in the thick jungle punctuated with culturally-significant temples albeit with scant strategic or economic value.

The UN Security Council held an emergency closed-door meeting Friday in New York. Malaysia, which chairs the 10-nation regional bloc that includes both countries, called for an end to the hostilities and offered to mediate.