24539: (news) Chamberlain: UN troops "doing a good job" in Haiti, says Rumsfeld (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Greg Chamberlain <GregChamberlain@compuserve.com>

   By JOHN J. LUMPKIN

   BUENOS AIRES, March 21 (AP) -- Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld on
Monday defended the U.N. peacekeeping operation in Haiti in response to
criticism that the international force has been slow to act against violent
elements.
   "I think the forces in Haiti have done a generally a good job," Rumsfeld
told reporters en route to Argentina, the first stop in a four-day swing
through Latin America.
   The Pentagon chief said peacekeeping efforts in Haiti are generally
going well. The United States has promoted the Haiti effort as an
opportunity for nations in the Americas to work together, but officials
fear that foreign commitments of aid are not being fulfilled, leaving
reconstruction lagging as fall elections approach.
   After landing in March 2004 to halt violence in Haiti, the U.S. military
turned over the mission to allies 10 months ago. Brazil leads the mission
with more than 1,100 troops. Argentina is second-in-command with 550
troops. Guatemala also has sent soldiers.
   In Haiti on Sunday, U.N. peackeepers took on soldiers from a disbanded
army in clashes that left two peacekeepers and two Haitian fighters dead,
with the Brazilian commander of the mission promising more confrontations.
On Monday, about 300 Brazilian and Nepalese peacekeepers raided a Haitian
town, retaking the area without casualties.