27268: (news) Chamberlain: Two Jordanian UN peacekeepers killed (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

Greg Chamberlain

     UNITED NATIONS, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Two U.N. peacekeepers were killed
and a third wounded by gunfire in the Haitian capital on Tuesday in the
latest clash between U.N. troops patrolling a Port-au-Prince slum and the
gangs who control it.
     The three peacekeepers, all Jordanian nationals, were manning a
checkpoint in the capital's restive Cite Soleil neighborhood when they came
under fire, U.N. chief spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
     "One of the peacekeepers was reportedly killed on the spot. The other
two were taken to hospital where one of them died of his wounds shortly
after," Dujarric said.
     The third peacekeeper, in serious condition, was evacuated to a
better-equipped hospital in the Dominican Republic, U.N. officials said.
     The U.N. mission in Haiti, known by its acronym MINUSTAH, was sent in
to keep the peace after then-President Jean-Bertrand Aristide fled the
country in February 2004 in the face of an armed revolt.
     But the country of 8.5 million people has continued to be afflicted by
political violence, and a wave of kidnappings has swept through
Port-au-Prince in recent weeks.
     At U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S. Ambassador John Bolton called
the security situation in Haiti "very disturbing" but said presidential
elections that have already been postponed several times should be held as
planned in February.
     "That's the announced plan of the government of Haiti, and that's what
we think ought to happen," Bolton told reporters.
     Counting Tuesday's killings, 13 U.N. peacekeepers have died in Haiti
since 2004, including 10 soldiers, two police officers and U.N. Force
Commander Gen. Urano Bacellar, who committed suicide earlier this month.
     Business leaders, many of whom vigorously opposed Aristide, and the
interim government installed after Aristide's departure, have called on the
U.N. force to be more aggressive in taking on street gangs that control
many of the sprawling slums in Port-au-Prince.
     Many of the gangs are seen as supporters of the exiled Aristide.
     But others have criticized the peacekeepers for being too aggressive
in patrolling the slums. Dozens of civilians have been caught in the
cross-fire during gunfights between U.N. troops and gangs.