27419: (news) Chamberlain: Haiti-UN-New Commander (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Greg Chamberlain <GregChamberlain@compuserve.com>

   By STEVENSON JACOBS

   PORT-AU-PRINCE, Feb 1 (AP) -- U.N. troops in Haiti must take control of
a vast, gang-infested slum while minimizing the impact on civilians, their
new commander said Wednesday.
   At least 200,000 people live in the warren of cinderblock shacks and
open sewage canals known as Cite Soleil, where kidnappers stash hostages,
heavily armed peacekeepers barely penetrate and polling booths will not be
erected for national elections Tuesday due to insecurity.
   Brazilian Lt. Gen. Jose Elito Carvalho de Siqueira told The Associated
Press in an exclusive interview -- his first since arriving in Haiti last
week -- that having a strong U.N. presence in Cite Soleil is one of his
chief objectives.
   "Certainly, it's necessary in the future that we must go in, and stay,
to help the population," Elito said in the interview. "But we need to think
of these people that are living there."
   Limiting "collateral damage," the general said, "is absolutely a
priority in every plan you do. We are here for a stabilization mission, not
as an occupation force."
   The new commander said his top priority is ensuring that elections next
week go smoothly and are free from violence.
   The Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, has been consumed by violence since
a bloody revolt toppled then-President Jean-Bertrand Aristide nearly two
years ago. U.N. peacekeepers fight almost daily with heavily armed gangs,
some allegedly aligned with Aristide.
   The elections have been repeatedly postponed because of poor
organization and violence. Thirty-five candidates are running for president
and hundreds more for 129 legislative seats.
   Elito said he was optimistic and is pressing all sectors of Haitian
society to cooperate.
   "The comprehensive plan is going quite well and I think if we're lucky
and have the cooperation of everyone, we can have a very good result on
Feb. 7," Elito said.
   Slum dwellers have accused U.N. troops of shooting unarmed civilians
during late-night raids, but Elito said peacekeepers only fire when
attacked.
   "They have strict orders not to shoot without identifying the problem.
But we need to return fire sometimes to control the situation," he said.
   Two Jordanians were gunned down at a checkpoint in Cite Soleil last
month, the eighth and ninth peacekeepers killed since the start of the U.N.
mission.
   In Cite Soleil Wednesday, two young men lay in the street wounded by
gunfire that one of the victims and witnesses said came from a U.N. armored
personnel carrier. Jordanian U.N. peacekeepers based at the nearest U.N.
outpost waved journalists away when they approached for interviews.
   The general acknowledged that cultural differences may be hindering the
Jordanians' ability to win support from the Creole-speaking population, but
said such obstacles are normal in U.N. missions across the globe. He said
there were no plans to replace the Jordanians with troops from other
nations.
   "It is not going well there but it's not mostly a problem with Jordanian
units," Elito said. "The problems with the Jordanians could happen with any
troops."
   Elito, 59, replaced Brazilian Lt. Gen. Urano Teixeira da Matta Bacellar,
who shot himself in his hotel room Jan. 7. It was the first suicide by a
force commander in the history of U.N. peacekeeping.