25341: (news) Chamberlain: Haiti-US-Troops (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Greg Chamberlain <GregChamberlain@compuserve.com>

   By STEVENSON JACOBS

   PORT-AU-PRINCE, June 7 (AP) -- A Haitian official said Tuesday that the
violence-gripped nation would welcome the deployment of U.S. troops ahead
of elections and that Haitians were losing confidence in U.N. peacekeepers.
   Michel Brunache, Haiti's Cabinet chief, said there had been no official
communication between the Haitian and U.S. governments about sending
troops, but he said their deployment would be welcome. Armed gangs have
been blamed for kidnappings and other violence since the February 2004
revolt that toppled President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
   U.N. peacekeepers must "become more aggressive to fight with gangs,"
Brunache said. "They need the Marines."
   His comments followed a Sunday editorial in The Washington Post that
reported the U.S. Embassy in Haiti had recommended sending a small force of
Marines to secure elections scheduled for October and November.
   U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Carolyn Cooley declined to comment.
   Roger Noriega, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for Western
Hemisphere affairs, is scheduled to visit Haiti on Wednesday to meet with
interim officials and evaluate peacekeeping efforts, Brunache said.
   U.S. Marines patrolled the capital for three months after Aristide's
ouster before turning over control to the U.N. peacekeeping force.
   U.S. Ambassador James Foley last week criticized peacekeepers for not
being aggressive enough helping Haitian police confront gangs. Aristide
supporters, however, have accused peacekeepers of standing by while Haitian
police execute and arbitrarily arrest slum dwellers.
   U.N. spokeswoman Myrna Domit said peacekeepers increased foot and
vehicle patrols Tuesday in several volatile slums.
   Also Tuesday, the World Bank approved a $2 million grant to help Haiti
manage its finances but warned that the country's economic recovery won't
be effective without proper accounting of public resources.
   International donors have pledged more than $1 billion to help Haiti
rebuild its shattered infrastructure following the uprising that toppled
Aristide and two severe floods.
   Only a fraction of the funds have been disbursed, a delay officials
blame in part on bureaucratic wrangling among donor nations and a lack of
local expertise to handle projects like road repairs.