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#2861: New U.N. mission takes hold in Haiti (fwd)
From:nozier@tradewind.net
WIRE:03/15/2000 16:49:00 ET
New U.N. mission takes hold in Haiti
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, March 15 (Reuters) - After more than five years
in Haiti, two U.N. missions, focused on police training and human
rights,ended their stints in the troubled Caribbean nation on Wednesday,
replaced by a single unarmed mission,U.N. officials said. The change
comes as Haiti struggles to hold its first national elections in three
years, a key step toward establishing a stable democracy after decades
of dictatorship and military rule.Election officials set the
long-delayed vote for municipal and legislative posts for April 9, but
President Rene Preval has not approved the date,leaving the election in
doubt. The April 9 date is the fourth election date officials have
set. The others were postponed due to logistics problems making photo
identification cards for more than 4 million eligible voters.
HOLD ELECTIONS SOON
The U.N. Security Council marked the end of the Haiti missions by
issuing a statement in New York urging Haitian authorities to work
together to complete preparations for the elections as soon as
possible."The Security Council considers that timely, free and
fair elections are crucial to democracy and all aspects of Haiti's
development," the statement said.The 270-member police mission (MIPONUH)
helped train Haiti's four-year-old civilian police force, formed to
provide security when the hated army was disbanded. The 30-member
U.N.-Organisation of American States human rights mission
(MICIVIH),reduced last year from 80 due to lack of funds, also
ended Wednesday."After five years of the mission, under the rule of the
Security Council, we think there has been a lot of improvement in
Haiti. It has been decided that the mission should be more compact,"
Daniel Amiot-Priso, MIPONUH spokesman, said. MICIVIH began monitoring
human rights in Haiti in 1993, during the reign of a military junta
that ousted the nation's first freely elected president,Jean-Bertrand
Aristide. The police mission was established in 1995 after a U.S.-led
multinational invasion force ended military rule and restored Aristide
to power.
NO LEGITIMATE ELECTIONS
Aristide turned over the presidency to Preval in 1996 but Haiti has
failed to hold legitimate elections since.The new 98-member mission,
called the International Civilian Support Mission in Haiti (MICAH) will
consist of advisers from predominantly French-speaking countries -- 31
for human rights, 33 for police and 34 working in justice.Its focus will
be on the economic and political development of Haiti, the poorest
country in the western hemisphere.MICAH's initial mandate, voted by the
U.N. General Assembly, is until Feb. 7, 2001, Amiot-Priso said. The
details of the new mission are still being worked out. MICIVIH
executive director Colin Granderson said Haiti's human rights situation
had improved but the work was hindered by the ongoing political crisis.
Preval shut down parliament in January of last year and has been ruling
by decree. "Haiti needs a return to institutional normalcy to be
able to move forward, not only on the democratic front, but also on
the social and economic level," he said.