26 February 2004
Caribbean Community Wants U.N. Peacekeepers in Haiti
U.S. will back force to support a political agreement, says Negroponte
By Judy Aita
Washington File United Nations Correspondent
United Nations -- The nations of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) asked the U.N. Security Council on February 26 to authorize the immediate deployment of a peacekeeping force to Haiti in order to stop the violence and allow time to reach a political solution to the country's ongoing crisis.
"The member states of the CARICOM Cmmunity seek the direct and immediate intervention of the United Nations in Haiti. The situation is one of utmost urgency, and the need for decisive action is paramount," said Keith Knight, foreign minister of Jamaica.
The immediate need is for "a multinational force to assist in the restoration of law and order, to facilitate a return to stability, and to create an environment in which the continuing efforts to find a solution to the political crisis can be pursued," Knight said.
Speaking on behalf of the CARICOM countries, Knight said that "while CARICOM will continue to play its role in seeking a political solution to the crisis in Haiti, we believe the United Nations has a special responsibility in assisting Haiti, given its record of involvement in previous peacekeeping missions. The restoration of peace and stability should be considered as part of its unfinished business."
He said that some members of CARICOM have indicated that they will contribute troops to a U.N. force.
CARICOM's stand "is not driven by any desire to promote the political interests of any particular personality in the Haitian political arena," Knight said. "It is based on the need to remain faithful to democratic principles and the integrity of a constitutional order."
The Security Council held a public debate on Haiti at the request of CARICOM, afterwards issuing a formal presidential statement saying that it will "consider urgently options for international engagement, including that of an international force in support of a political settlement" to Haiti's crisis.
The presidential statement, which was originally drafted by the United States, supported CARICOM and the Organization of American States (OAS) in their efforts to find a political settlement, especially as they work to find a solution to the current impasse caused by the rejection of the peace plan by opponents of Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
"The Security Council expresses deep concern in regard to the deterioration of the political, security, and humanitarian environment in Haiti," said the statement, which was read by Council President Wang Guangya of China. "It deplores the loss of life that has already occurred, and fears that the failure, thus far, to reach a political settlement may result in further bloodshed. Continued violence and the breakdown of law and order in Haiti could have destabilizing effects in the region."
U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte told the U.N. Security Council: "If a sustainable political agreement in Haiti is reached, the United States would support efforts to deploy an international force to support implementation. We have worked closely with the Caribbean Community, the Organization of American States, the Friends of Haiti, and others to respond to the crisis in Haiti and we will continue to do so."
The United States continues to support the OAS Special Mission in Haiti, the ambassador said. "The mission can serve as the foundation for an expanded international presence to professionalize the Haitian national police, to promote the rule of law, disarm gangs, and encourage a climate of security conductive to democratic activity," he explained.
Negroponte also urged "all democratic elements in Haiti to maintain active dialogue to reach a lasting political solution," adding: "Naturally, our dialogue with them and other elements of Haitian society must continue."
Haitian Ambassador Jean Alexandre also asked for immediate international intervention in his country's crisis. He urged the council to condemn the acts of violence and refuse to accept any government not democratically elected.
"How many wounded or dead must there be before the international community comes to our assistance?" Alexandre said. "It is better to prevent than to treat."
The Haitian ambassador said that the disorder and violence threatens to plunge the country into an unprecedented humanitarian disaster and destroy its fragile institutions. It poses a serious threat to the region, similar what occurred in 1991, as Haitian refugees take to the sea in makeshift craft to flee the violence. In 1991 more than 40,000 refugees fled to the Florida coast, the ambassador pointed out.
Frederick Mitchell, foreign minister of the Bahamas, asked for "quick and decisive United Nations action so that countries who can help, including our own, can move with legal authority to provide the immediate assistance for security and then to contribute to the longer peacekeeping and humanitarian effort."
Recalling that there have been "32 previous examples of the dislodging of heads of state in Haiti," Mitchell said: "The question the international community must ask is whether or not it is going to contribute to the repetition of that history or whether the international community is going to assist in breaking that cycle."
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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