28 June 2004
New U.N. Mission Assumes Command of Peacekeeping Activities in Haiti
Command passed from U.S.-led multinational force
By Eric Green
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington -- A new mission of the United Nations assumed command June 25 of peacekeeping activities in Haiti, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) has announced.
In a June 25 statement, the DOD said formal authority was handed over that same day to the U.N. Stabilization Mission for Haiti (MINUSTAH) at a ceremony in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince. MINUSTAH assumed responsibility in Haiti from the U.S.-led Multinational Interim Force, composed of 3,600 troops from the United States, France, Chile, and Canada.
Led by Brazil, MINUSTAH is expected to be composed of personnel from about 30 nations. Specifically, the force will have up to 6,700 military personnel, 1,622 civilian police, 548 international civilian personnel, 154 United Nations volunteers, and 995 local civilian staff.
The DOD said the U.S. mission in Haiti has been completed, and U.S. personnel accomplished all of its assignments in the Caribbean nation. All U.S. military personnel are expected to depart from the country -- except for four officers working with MINUSTAH -- by June 29, the DOD said.
The U.S.-led interim force in Haiti was originally due to leave the country at the end of May, but was held in place until MINUSTAH was ready to assume control.
The DOD said Haitian officials credited the February 29 arrival of U.S. Marines in the nation with preventing a bloodbath in Haiti following the resignation of former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
The U.S. Marines secured the region in and around Port-au-Prince, while French troops, arriving soon after, moved into the northern part of the country around the city of Cap-Haitien. Chilean and Canadian troops also quickly joined the multinational force in securing the country following Aristide's February 29 resignation.
The United Nations has announced that a donors' conference for Haiti will be held July 19-20 in Washington. The United Nations, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the European Commission will host the conference, with the United States to be one of the many participants at the meeting.
For his part, U.S. Ambassador to Haiti James Foley said May 24 that that the two latest multinational forces sent to the Caribbean country succeeded in "avoiding disaster" in Haiti.
The interim U.N. force "did not resolve all problems, such as the security problems" in Haiti, Foley said at a news conference in Port-au-Prince.
Resolving that issue, he said, is a "long-term job" that must be preceded by the "reform" of the Haitian national police. The United States will continue to assist Haitian authorities in resolving the country's security problems, Foley said.
"It is obvious that the present is very difficult for the Haitian people," Foley added. "But I can tell you that the future is promising, and we are beginning to really help the Haitian people in the coming weeks."
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
