25110: Craig (pub) Security Council Recommends Expanding and Extending Mission (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Dan Craig <sak-pase@bimini.ws>

HAITI:
U.N. Urged to Step Up Peacekeeping, Reconstruction Efforts

*Niko Kyriakou*

*The U.N. peacekeeping mission in Haiti needs to be expanded and
extended if elections later this year are to be free, fair, and safe,
according to a new Security Council assessment.*

*UNITED NATIONS, May 15 (IPS) - * The U.N. peacekeeping mission in Haiti
needs to be expanded and extended if elections later this year are to be
free, fair, and safe, according to a new Security Council assessment.

Brazilian Ambassador Ronaldo Sardenberg, who led a fact-finding team
drawn from the council's 15 members states, told the apex security body
the planned elections represent the most important short-term goal for
the strife-torn Caribbean nation.

''Holding elections late this year constitutes the most pressing and
visible challenge for the Haitians and the international community in
the short term,'' Sardenberg told council members Friday. ''Although not
a universal remedy, elections are essential for the formation of a
legitimate government, thus concluding the transitional period which
started more than one year ago.''

Since rebel forces ousted long-time president Jean-Bertrand Aristide in
February of last year, the interim government that has run Haiti has
been unable to stabilise the country amidst fighting for control over
various regions between former soldiers, armed Aristide supporters, and
criminal gangs, according to a Human Rights Watch (HRW) assessment last
month.

Sardenberg said he ''strongly encouraged'' donor countries and
international financial institutions to disburse 1.3 billion dollars in
pledges they made to Haiti as far back as last July, including an
undelivered 22 million dollars for election support, and said that the
U.N.'s peacekeeping mission should be extended for an additional year to
ensure successful elections.

''There can be no general stability without advances in the creation of
a safe and secure environment, in the political dialogue with a view to
national reconciliation, in the observance of human rights, and in the
promotion of social and economic development,'' he said.

After four peacekeeping missions to the country since 1985, the U.N.
launched a fifth mission, The United Nations Stabilisation Mission in
Haiti (MINUSTAH), last June to establish security, promote human rights,
and support the political process.

MINUSTAH's 7,400 peacekeepers are scheduled to leave next month unless
the Security Council extends their deployment.

Tanzanian Ambassador Augustine Mahiga, who represents his country on the
Security Council and was part of the assessment team sent to Haiti, said
that the past four missions were ''prematurely terminated and
superficially successful'' but expressed confidence in the future role
of MINUSTAH.

''This time around, MINUSTAH should be enabled to make a difference by
adequately stabilising the country and laying a foundation for a
comprehensive peace-building strategy which addresses the societal
crisis in Haiti rooted in its history, society, and culture,'' Mahiga said.

He added that despite getting off to a slow start both in terms of
deployment and because some of its resources had been diverted to other
humanitarian needs in the country, MINUSTAH was ''steadily stabilising''
the country and containing violence to a level where the transitional
government can operate and civilians can live in relative security.

''In the current peacekeeping mission there are ample opportunities to
sow the seeds for a sustainable peace-building phase,'' he said.

Even so, HRW, Global Justice, and other rights advocates have attacked
MINUSTAH for failing to properly protect citizens from violence, disarm
the warring factions, and regulate the Haitian police.

''Criminal and political violence has killed hundreds of Haitians while
the perpetrators enjoy overwhelming impunity,'' said Joanne Mariner,
deputy Americas director at HRW. ''The authorities' failure to
investigate and punish daily acts of violence creates a climate of
impunity in which abuses flourish and people feel completely defenseless.''

The Security Council assessment report acknowledged early problems with
the mission but accused interest groups of exaggerating.

Mahiga, echoing the report, called for MINUSTAH to improve its
collaboration with the Haitian national police force, specifically
through help with recruitment, training, equipment, and the
''professionalisation of its work ethic.''

The report also calls for reform of the judicial system to combat the
widespread impunity of criminals and human rights offenders and suggests
that MINUSTAH launch a public relations campaign to communicate to the
Haitian people its role in the country.

It further recommends better integration of the local population into
the reconciliation process and political activity, and Security Council
members suggested that the opposition be included in the country's
political dialogue.

Turning to long-term rehabilitation, Mahiga told the council that
''poverty has been the root cause of instability in Haiti.'' Besides
calling for employment-generating projects in the post-election period,
he also said that ''conditions should be put in place to create a
political climate which inspires the confidence of future investors.''

Canadian Ambassador Allan Rock, chairman of the Economic and Social
Council's Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Haiti, also urged greater
international support for the country's economic recovery.

''Ultimately, the chief responsibility for the building of a stable and
democratic Haiti rests in the hands of the Haitian people themselves.
However, the international community must offer its commitment and
support over the long term,'' Rock said.

He called on the Haitian interim government to anchor its medium-term
planning in a Millennium Development Goal Poverty Reduction Strategy
Paper, which is the World Bank's guideline for poverty-related aid
recipients.

The report encourages donors to share ''full cooperation with Haiti''
and to support infrastructure initiatives such as road repair and
construction, energy generation and transmission, reforestation, and
management of water resources. (END)

http://ipsnews.net/interna.asp?idnews=28684