Khieu Samphan now lives in a remote jungle area near Thailand

A legal rights group has said that the former president visited its offices three months ago to discuss the possibility of legal representation.

The Cambodian defenders project usually provides legal assistance to the poor and vulnerable.

Sok Sam Ouen, executive director of the organisation, said he told Khieu Samphan to wait until the tribunal is actually formed.

"He's afraid to have a biased lawyer or someone that is not so good," he said.

In March this year, the Cambodian government and the United Nations finally agreed to set-up a joint Cambodian-international tribunal to try the former Khmer Rouge leaders.

The agreement has yet to be ratified by the Cambodian parliament because of the political deadlock following an election earlier this year.

Khieu Samphan is among the surviving members of the regime who is almost certain to face trial.

He was the public face of the Khmer Rouge, which under the leadership of Pol Pot in the 1970s is blamed for the deaths of over 1 million people.

Other Khmer Rouge figures likely to appear before the court include the former foreign minister, Iang Sary, and Nuon Chea, who was known as "Brother Number Two."

The former military commander Ta Mok is already in prison awaiting trial, while Pol Pot himself died in 1998.