01 March 2004
Rumsfeld Says Haiti Shows Need for Peacekeeping Operations
Defense secretary praises Iraq for adoption of administrative law
By Jacquelyn S. Porth
Washington File Security Affairs Writer
Washington -- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says the current political situation in Haiti demonstrates "the need for greater international capacity" to carry out global peacekeeping operations.
Speaking to reporters at the Pentagon March 1 after the first contingent of U.S. Marines had arrived in Port-au-Prince, Rumsfeld said the United States is working with other countries in the Western Hemisphere to strengthen their ability to conduct peacekeeping and stability operations.
Beyond efforts in the Western Hemisphere, Rumsfeld also said the United States is committed to working with friends and allies to improve everyone's capability to pursue global peace operations. No single country can do it all, he said. "I think that we have to...recognize that the world needs that capability," the secretary added.
So far the United States has sent a couple of hundred Marines to Haiti, following a request from that country's new president, and more are on the way.
Asked about the ultimate size of the U.S. contribution, Rumsfeld said it would likely fall in the range of 1,500 to 2,000 or less. He said the total would depend upon the size of contributions by other nations --- including France and Canada -- and the recommendations of local commanders. "We'll have what's needed," he said.
The number of people needed for peacekeeping in Haiti should be "relatively small," according to Rumsfeld's analysis, and, consequently, the number of U.S. military forces will also be small.
"We are already working to establish a U.N. force that will take over from the interim force," the secretary said.
Following the recent passage of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1529 on Haiti, Rumsfeld said he was pleased by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan's comments that the community of nations has a responsibility to work with the people of Haiti to try to put them "on a path of stability and improving circumstance."
Since former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide left his country February 29, Rumsfeld said, the level of looting has decreased and the situation "has calmed down."
Asked about reports that the U.S. military may have played a role in the forcible removal of Aristide from office, Rumsfeld said Aristide provided a hand-written letter of resignation. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Richard Myers, who briefed alongside the secretary, said the role of U.S. military personnel was to provide protection for Aristide and his wife as they departed the capital.
Asked about reports that Aristide may have been led away in handcuffs, the Air Force general said that information "doesn't jive [correspond] with anything that we've heard."
Asked about the possibility of Haitian migrants fleeing by sea to the United States, Myers said none has been picked up in the past two days.
Rumsfeld said the U.S. Coast Guard has plans "to dissuade people from attempting to leave toward the United States."
Asked about the possibility of positioning U.S. Navy ships off the coast of Haiti to assist in the mission, Myers said the subject will be discussed at the secretarial level, but no decision had been made yet.
Myers also said it is wrong to think of Haiti's troubles as primarily a military problem. Whatever is needed there "could be done by well-trained police forces," he said, "and it certainly is a political-economic problem."
Rumsfeld also used the briefing as an opportunity to offer his congratulations to Iraq's Governing Council on its March 1 approval of an Iraqi transitional administrative law. "This is an historic day for the people of Iraq," the secretary said. Such a bill of rights is unprecedented for Iraq and the broader region, he said, describing it as "a remarkable achievement."
The officials were also questioned about the ongoing hunt for Osama Bin Laden. In particular, they were asked about a possible deal between Pakistan and the United States that would allow U.S. troops into Pakistan to hunt for terrorists if the United States agreed to acquiesce regarding Pakistan's treatment of nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan. Rumsfeld said there is no quid pro quo on this issue, as suggested in a new issue of the New Yorker magazine.
(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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