30 November 2004
U.N. Peacekeeping Mission in Haiti Renewed Until June 1, 2005
Mission could be further extended in future
By Eric Green
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington -- The U.N. Security Council has authorized its international peacekeeping force in Haiti to continue operations for at least another six months, until June 1, 2005.
In a November 29 statement, the United Nations said the Security Council voted unanimously that day on a resolution to extend the mission, known by the acronym MINUSTAH, from a deadline of November 30 in order to help Haiti find a democratic solution to its political problems. MINUSTAH was created in April after widespread unrest in the Caribbean nation led to the resignation of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
The Security Council also signaled its intention in the resolution to renew MINUSTAH for further periods beyond the June 2005 deadline.
The United Nations said that that more than two-thirds of MINUSTAH's authorized strength of 6,700 soldiers and 1,622 civil police are already on the ground in Haiti.
The resolution to renew the mission emphasized the urgency of conducting disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration programs in Haiti that would help remove all illegal weapons from the nation's streets.
The resolution also emphasized that political reconciliation and economic reconstruction remain key to the stability and security of Haiti. In addition, the resolution condemned all violations of human rights and urged Haiti's transitional government to take all necessary measures to put an end to impunity, which involves crimes that go unpunished.
The Security Council, expressing concern about the arbitrary detention of people because of their political affiliation, called on Haiti's transitional government to release those individuals against whom no charges have been brought.
The council urged Haiti's government to continue to explore actively all possible ways to include in the democratic and electoral process those individuals who have rejected violence as a solution to the country's problems.
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in a report that MINUSTAH is needed because the security situation in Haiti has "deteriorated" due to a surge in violence, especially in the capital city of Port-au-Prince. Annan appealed to all armed groups to break "this cycle of violence" in order not to further endanger the transition process under way in Haiti.
Annan said that as MINUSTAH troops and police personnel continue to build up their strength, the mission's capacity to ensure a secure and stable environment in Haiti will increase.
The secretary-general said that although security is a "necessary condition" for the success of the Haitian transitional process, a "parallel political process" involving all segments of society is needed for sustainable peace and security in the country.
Annan also welcomed the Haitian government's "sustained commitment" to holding local, legislative, and presidential elections in 2005.
For its part, the United States announced during a July 20 international donors' conference for Haiti that it is providing a $230 million aid package to be used by the Caribbean nation for job creation and economic growth, budget support of Haitian government ministries, security improvements and judicial reform, support for conducting free and fair elections in the country, and improved health care, nutrition and education.
The pledge is in addition to the current U.S. contribution to international peacekeeping efforts in Haiti, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said at the conference.
The world community must help Haiti rebuild, "not just because it is right and good to do so," Powell said. "We must also help the Haitian people because the international community will benefit from the transformation of Haiti into a fully democratic, stable, and prosperous country."
(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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