23498: Lemieux: Inquirer News Service--Phillipines: Send Carribean troops to Haiti, RP urges UN (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: JD Lemieux <lxhaiti@yahoo.com>

Send Carribean troops to Haiti, RP urges UN
Updated 06:11am (Mla time) Oct 18, 2004
By TJ Burgonio
Inquirer News Service--Phillipines


THE PHILIPPINES has proposed that countries in
the Caribbean deploy troops to neighboring Haiti
to help UN peacekeepers quell a fresh outbreak of
violence in the typhoon-ravaged country.
Department of Foreign Affairs officials said
Ambassador Bayani S. Mercado, deputy permanent
representative to the UN, made the proposal
during a closed-door briefing at the UN Security
Council last week after a fresh wave of violence
broke out in Haiti in the past two weeks, leaving
at least 50 people dead.

"There is clearly a breakdown in the rule of
law,” Mercado said, referring to the violence
instigated by pro-Aristide militants who had
threatened to undermine the international
community's efforts to restore security and
stability in the disaster-stricken state.

Mercado, the charge d'affaires of the Philippine
mission to the UN, pointed out that UN
peacekeepers "badly needed” reinforcements to
prevent large-scale violence that "might erupt”
at anytime.

The UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations had
assessed that the over 3,000 troops on the ground
would have to be doubled "to maintain credible
peacekeeping presence” in Haiti.

"It is apparent that the limited force complement
of the UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti due to
the delay in the deployment by contributing
countries is affecting its effectiveness,”
Mercado said.

UN peacekeepers took over in August from the
US-led Multi-National Interim Force which was
deployed in February to restore order in the
island following President Jean Bertrand
Aristide's ouster.


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