19275: (Chamberlain) Caribbean nations seek quick intervention in Haiti (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Greg Chamberlain <GregChamberlain@compuserve.com>

     By Irwin Arieff

     UNITED NATIONS, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Caribbean countries on Thursday
called for immediate international intervention to stop the bloodshed in
Haiti, but the U.N. Security Council signaled it was not ready yet to
authorize peacekeepers.
     Jamaican Foreign Minister Keith D. Knight, speaking on behalf of the
Caribbean community Caricom, urged the 15-nation Security Council to
quickly authorize the urgent deployment of a multinational force as armed
rebels warned of an imminent march on the capital.
     The goal of such a force would be to "assist in the restoration of law
and order and to facilitate a return to stability and to create an
environment in which the continuing efforts to find a solution to the
political crisis can be pursued," Knight told a special council meeting on
Haiti.
     "The situation is one of utmost urgency and the need for decisive
action is paramount," he said.
     "How many wounded or dead will be counted before the international
community comes to our assistance to avoid a blood bath?" asked Haitian
U.N. Ambassador Jean Alexandre.
     A council statement declared its readiness to approve an international
force on condition Haiti's government and opposition first reach a
political agreement on sharing power and ending the violence.
     The statement put the council in line with the United States, France
and other international players who have ruled out intervention as long as
the armed rebellion still rages.
     Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, meanwhile, reiterated in an
interview with CNN that he would not step down as demanded by armed rebels
and the political opposition in Port-au-Prince, insisting he would serve
out his term to 2006.
     The opposition has ruled out any power-sharing deal so long as
Aristide remains in office.
     But Bahamas Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell, backing Knight, said this
should not block international intervention as "the legitimate authority"
in Haiti had called for help.
     "It appears to us that those who can help restore law and order ought
to do so and to do so now," he told the council.
     More than 60 people have died since the revolt began on Feb. 5 when
the rebels, a collection of gangs and well-armed former soldiers, overran
the western city of Gonaives.
     Former colonial power France has proposed setting up an international
police force to restore order in Haiti in support of a government of
national unity.
     A civilian peacekeeping force, authorized by the Security Council,
"could be an important complement to a political solution," French
Ambassador Jean-Marc de la Sabliere said.
     "It could help re-establish public order and support the international
community's action on the ground, notably in the humanitarian sphere and
that of human rights," he said.
     U.S. President George W. Bush has also said the deteriorating
situation in Haiti may require an international security presence, but only
once a political deal was reached.
     "If a sustainable political agreement in Haiti is reached, the United
States would support efforts to deploy an international force to support
implementation," U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte told the council.