19725: Lemieux: BBC: Haiti aid effort gets into gear (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: JD Lemieux <lxhaiti@yahoo.com>

 Published: 2004/03/03 15:56:15
 BBC News

Haiti aid effort gets into gear
Aid agencies are gearing up to take in urgent supplies to
Haiti where weeks of revolt and political upheaval have
left thousands short of food and water.
A UN plane was due to arrive later on Wednesday, but aid
workers say security needs to be established before
large-scale distribution can begin.

US forces are in Haiti trying to restore order after
President Jean-Bertrand fled at the weekend.

Mr Aristide, now in the Central African Republic, says he
was forced to leave.


Security crucial

A DC-8 plane from Copenhagen was due in the capital,
Port-au-Prince, carrying 30,000 tonnes of medical supplies,
the UN's children's agency (Unicef) said.

"But it is one thing to bring in aid, it is another to
distribute it," Unicef spokesman Marc Zergara told BBC News
Online.


"We need to evaluate people's needs, but security is
crucial for us to be able to get out and assess the damage
ourselves," he said.
His concerns are shared by Oxfam, which says it is ready to
start emergency operations in the country.

"What we really need is to see more troops there as part of
the multinational interim force to create the safe
circumstances in which we can deliver aid," Amy Barry of
Oxfam said.

The situation is said to be particularly bad in the north,
where the rebels have held sway for several weeks. Oxfam
calculates at least 80,000 people in Port-de-Paix and
60,000 in Cap Haitien have no access to clean water.

More than 1,000 US troops are in Haiti as part of an
international force authorised by the United Nations, which
is expected to grow to about 5,000.

Gun battle

The Bush administration has warned the rebels to disarm and
go home, saying they play no part in the political process.


US marines are securing key sites including the airport,
port and presidential palace, but their mission has now
expanded "to protect Haitians from reprisal attacks",
according to Staff Sergeant Timothy Edwards.

But in a sign of continuing insecurity, a gun battle broke
out on Wednesday in a Port-au-Prince slum between rebels
and gangs loyal to Mr Aristide, the Associated Press
reported.

Correspondents say the rebels' presence in the capital has
alarmed the international community which is trying to
implement a power-sharing plan to end the crisis between
the government and the political opposition.

In the Central African Republic, officials say they will
meet Mr Aristide in the coming days to discuss whether he
wants to remain there or go into exile elsewhere.

Correspondents say the authorities there are worried that
Mr Aristide could cause diplomatic and political problems.

Haiti's ex-leader has accused the US of forcing him to
leave the country - a charge denied by the Bush
administration.


Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/3529575.stm

Published: 2004/03/03 15:56:15 GMT

© BBC MMIV


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