19882: (Chamberlain) Canada says contributing 450 troops to Haiti force (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Greg Chamberlain <GregChamberlain@compuserve.com>

     By David Ljunggren

     OTTAWA, March 5 (Reuters) - Canada said on Friday it would contribute
about 450 troops to an interim multinational force charged with restoring
order in Haiti and promised long-term help to rebuild the Caribbean
nation's police, justice and health-care systems.
     The troops -- around 25 percent of whom speak French -- will start
arriving in strength in about five days' time. Canada will also send six
helicopters.
     The size of the contingent was larger than expected, especially given
long-standing complaints from the armed forces that they are stretched too
thin. Officials said the 100 Canadian troops already in Haiti would be
withdrawn soon.
     "Today I am announcing that the government of Canada is sending
approximately 450 Canadian forces personnel to Haiti for a period of 90
days," Defence Minister David Pratt told reporters in the eastern city of
Halifax.
     Pratt said that, if necessary, some of the troops could stay on in
Haiti for a few weeks beyond the three-month lifespan of the interim force,
which is due to be replaced by a United Nations peacekeeping mission.
     Canadian troops were deployed to French-speaking Haiti a decade ago as
part of an international effort to restore then President Jean-Bertrand
Aristide to power.
     Prime Minister Paul Martin told reporters in Montreal that Ottawa
would not end its involvement in Haiti once the 450 soldiers had left.
     "Canada will stay there in terms of our ability to provide policing
and training (of) police and to help in the reconstruction, from the
justice system through to agriculture through to the health care system,"
he said.
     "The international community left Haiti prematurely the last time and
we saw what happened. The international community must not make that
mistake again and Canada is going to stay there to ensure that that does
not happen."
     Haiti's much-criticized police force numbers around 4,000 poorly
trained officers in a nation of 8 million people.
     Canadian Chief of Defence Staff Ray Henault, appearing with Pratt,
said some of the troops going to Haiti had been deployed there a decade ago
and were familiar with the conditions.
     Henault said the armed forces were able to spare the troops for the
mission because Canada would shortly be cutting the number of troops it has
stationed abroad.
     The 800 troops in Bosnia will be reduced to 400 in April and the 2,000
troops on duty in Kabul as part of a NATO-led mission will be pared back to
500 in August, when their year-long mission formally ends, he said.