PREAH VIHEAR, CAMBODIA - Cambodia asked the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday to intervene in its dispute with Thailand over land near an ancient temple, saying the standoff has created "an imminent state of war."

But a clash seemed a remote possibility near the hilltop Preah Vihear temple, where more than 4,000 troops from both countries were camped out. The soldiers -- some without their weapons -- shared cigarettes, ate and chatted together in a disputed area a few hundred yards from the site.

Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong, using the harshest terms yet in the confrontation, said he had no choice but to appeal to the U.N. after discussions with Thailand on Monday failed to produce a breakthrough in the weeklong crisis. He made a similar request to the grouping of Southeast Asian nations.

"In the face of this imminent state of war, this very serious threat to our independence and territorial integrity, we have an obligation to resort to the U.N. Security Council," Hor Namhong said.

Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Tharit Charungvat rejected the appeal to the U.N., saying that "bilateral options are still not exhausted."

After the meeting with Hor Namhong, U.S. Ambassador Joseph Mussomeli told reporters, "We're disappointed that this has happened."

"The movement of troops is something that is always worrisome," Mussomeli said after the talks.

The dispute over 1.8 square miles of land near the Preah Vihear temple heated up earlier this month when UNESCO approved Cambodia's application to have the complex named a World Heritage Site.

Thailand sent troops to the border July 15 after anti-government demonstrators attacked Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej's government for supporting Cambodia's application to UNESCO. They claim the temple's new status will undermine Thailand's claim to land around the temple. Cambodia responded with its own deployment.