22947: (Chamberlain) Brazil troops to guard soccer stars at Haiti game (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Greg Chamberlain <GregChamberlain@compuserve.com>

     By Cesar Bianconi

     SAO PAULO, Brazil, Aug 12 (Reuters) - Defense will be a priority in
more ways than one when Brazil's national soccer team plays a special
"Peace Game" in Haiti next week.
     Most of the soldiers in the Brazilian peacekeeping force in Haiti will
take part in an operation to protect Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da
Silva and soccer stars like Ronaldo and Kaka next Wednesday in
Port-au-Prince.
     "About 1,000 of our soldiers will be on duty, as well as policemen
from the Haitian National Police under our command," Col. Luiz Felipe
Carbonell, spokesman for the Brazilian army in Haiti, told Reuters by
telephone on Wednesday.
     In June, a United Nations force led by 1,200 Brazilian troops took
over command of peacekeeping operations from the United States following a
bloody rebellion that ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in February.
     The soldiers are using soccer to win the hearts and minds of the
Haitian people. They arrived in Haiti with footballs and suitcases full of
the world champions' famed yellow shirts.
     Soccer is hugely popular in Haiti, the poorest country in the
Americas, and the capital has been painted with the yellow and green colors
of the Brazilian flag in recent weeks.
     The game between Brazil and Haiti is aimed at promoting peace between
warring factions in the country. But no one is taking any chances. Because
of security concerns, the Brazilian soccer stars -- who are worth millions
of dollars -- and Lula will stay only a few hours in Haiti.
     Lula will have lunch with local officials before the match. Ronaldo
and company are due to land at Port-au-Prince from Santo Domingo in the
neighboring Dominican Republic shortly before the game.
     Armored vehicles will stand guard on the route from the airport to the
soccer stadium.
     Brazil, which often plays exhibition games using secondary players,
has named a strong team which includes stars from the 2002 World Cup
winning side. Compared with legendary Brazil, Haiti is 85th in world soccer
rankings.
     "It's natural that contact with the players will be restricted. I
think the feeling of a war plan is coming from outside. We are only doing
everything to avoid problems," Carbonell said.
     A critical point is the size of the stadium, which has a capacity of
13,000.
     "Our biggest concern is related to this, because Haitians want to see
Brazilian stars. Other concerns are the same as we face in every big
fixture," Carbonell said.
     A Brazilian Football Confederation source said screens will be
installed across the city to allow as many people as possible to see the
game.
     There were plans to have people turn over guns in exchange for a
ticket to the game, but the project was thrown into question after critics
said it would reward criminals and militiamen.