23706: (pub) Chamberlain: Brazil to send more peacekeepers (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Greg Chamberlain <GregChamberlain@compuserve.com>

   By ALAN CLENDENNING

   RIO DE JANEIRO, Nov 4 (AP) -- Brazil will send additional peacekeepers
to help restore order in Haiti and boost the 4,000- force to 5,500, a top
government official said at a summit of Latin American leaders.
   Even with the additional troops, the number of peacekeepers falls far
short of an 8,300-member force of troops and police promised by the United
Nations, said Marco Aurelio Garcia, an aide to Brazilian President Luiz
Inacio Lula da Silva.
   But it will be enough maintain security on the island, Garcia insisted
Thursday after Silva and Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo opened the
two-day, annual 19-nation Rio Group summit.
   The Peruvian leader stressed Latin America must increase its commitment
to prevent the island from descending into chaos again.
   "The nature of Haiti's problems requires us to adopt long-term
solutions," Toledo said. "The Rio Group must assume long-term commitments,
based not only on free elections, but also to prevent the situation from
repeating itself again."
   Brazil leads the peacekeeping force, and Silva said Latin America's
"solidarity is being tested by the Caribbean crisis in Haiti."
   The United Nations said in June that the force required on the island
following President Jean Bertrand Aristide's ouster would include 6,700
troops and 1,622 civilian police from more than two dozen countries.
   Brazil, which is leading the operation, has already committed 1,2000
soldiers to the force of 4,079 in Haiti -- more than any other nation.
   Garcia divulged few details about the additional Brazilian troops,
saying only that the total would rise to 5,500 and Brazil would contribute.
   He did not say how many Brazilian soldiers would go or whether other
countries would participate. But Brazil acted after other countries did not
respond to its pleas for more troops.
   At least 79 people have been killed in Haiti since Aristide supporters
stepped up a violent campaign more than a month ago to demand his return
from exile in South Africa. Peacekeepers have been unable to halt the
violence completely.
   The peacekeepers in Haiti have also been stretched by having to provide
security for a massive humanitarian effort after Tropical Storm Jeanne
killed some 2,000 people and left another 900 missing and presumed dead in
the northwest city of Gonaives.
   "Our solidarity is being tested by the Caribbean crisis in Haiti,"
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said.
   Without additional troops, it may be difficult to control the situation
in Haiti. When the country erupted into violence in 1994, then-President
Bill Clinton sent 20,000 Marines who stayed for more than a year.
   Presidents and ministers from 19 Latin American countries attending the
18th annual Rio Group meeting are also expected to discuss lobbying for an
expansion of the U.N. Security Council.
   They want a permanent seat for a Latin American nation alongside the
current five permanent members: the United States, Russia, China, Britain
and France.
   Both Brazil and Mexico want a permanent seat, though Brazil's effort is
likely to receive more attention in Rio as it is hosting the summit.
   The Rio Group was created in 1986 to consolidate democracy in Latin
America through economic and social development and to spur cooperation and
integration.