27130: (news) Chamberlain: Haiti-Peacekeeper Death (later story) (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

   By BEN FOX

   PORT-AU-PRINCE, Jan 7 (AP) -- The Brazilian commander of U.N.
peacekeepers in Haiti was found dead on the balcony of his hotel room
Saturday in an apparent suicide, authorities said, a blow to the
9,000-strong force and efforts to restore democracy in Haiti.
   U.N. officials and Haitian police swarmed the upscale Hotel Montana
where 58-year-old Lt. Gen. Urano Teixeira da Matta Bacellar, blood staining
his white T-shirt, was slumped on a tile floor against the balcony.
   "His unexpected death leaves us all bereft, and we offer our most
sincere condolences to his family," said Damian Onses-Cardona, a spokesman
for the U.N. mission in Haiti.
   The multinational force is attempting to restore democracy to this
impoverished Caribbean island nation two years after a rebellion overthrew
President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Peacekeepers from more than 40 countries
have struggled to control gangs that still hold sway in sprawling slums.
   The security situation has been unraveling in past weeks, with a rash of
kidnappings hitting the capital. International election workers,
journalists and ordinary Haitians have been among the victims.
   Bacellar's death also came days after officials postponed national
elections for the fourth time, blaming security problems and delays in
distributing voter registration cards and setting up polling stations. The
elections had been planned for Jan. 8. No new date has been set and it was
not immediately clear what effect Bacellar's death would have on a new
election timetable.
   The U.N. named Chilean Gen. Eduardo Aldunate Herman as the interim
commander.
   A senior U.N. official confirmed to The Associated Press that Bacellar
suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head. The official spoke on
condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to disclose the
information to the press.
   U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan "was shocked and saddened" by
Bacellar's death and a full investigation was under way, the United Nations
said in a statement.
   Outwardly calm and reflective, Bacellar was charged with restoring order
in Haiti, the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, in the wake of the
February 2004 rebellion.
   Haiti's largest business association this week called for a general
strike on Monday to pressure the U.N. mission to aggressively move against
the gangs in the fetid seaside slum of Cite Soleil. The gangs control Cite
Soleil and stash their hostages there while seeking ransoms.
   Bacellar, who had served in Brazil's armed forces for 39 years, became
commander of the multinational force in September, replacing Brazilian Lt.
Gen. Augusto Heleno Ribeiro, who had led the force since its deployment to
Haiti in June 2004.
   Seven peacekeepers have been killed in action since the force deployed,
according to the U.N. A Jordanian captain, the most recent victim, was shot
on Dec. 24 outside Cite Soleil.
   Brazil's president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, said Saturday that his
country's troops will remain in Haiti despite Bacellar's death.
   Silva said the Brazilian government "reaffirms its determination to
support the people of Haiti in the construction of peace and political
stability."
   Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim said Brazil wants to remain in
the command of the U.N. peacekeeping force.
   "It's our duty to continue ahead of the mission," Amorim said. "The
decision on who will substitute Bacellar belongs to the U.N., but we will
request that a Brazilian commander remains ahead of the mission."
   Bacellar's wife, Maria Ignez, called for a complete investigation of
Bacellar's death by the Brazilian army.
   "He was more important to me than he was to the army," she told the
Agencia Estado news service. "The country has taken him from me."
   Bacellar is survived by his wife and two children.
   State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Saturday that Brazil's
armed forces "have lost a great friend and dedicated public servant."
   ------
   Associated Press reporter Tales Azzoni in Sao Paulo, Brazil, contributed
to this report.