UN peace force on way to Haiti

The United Nations Security Council voted unanimously today to send a military force immediately to restore order in Haiti, hours after the country’s embattled president fled into exile.

The vote came minutes after the Pentagon announced that US marines had begun arriving in the lawless Caribbean nation as the vanguard of an international security force.

The marines are expected to be joined in the coming days by soldiers from France, Canada and several Caribbean nations.

The resolution adopted by the council states that “the situation in Haiti constitutes a threat to international peace and security and to stability in the Caribbean, especially through the potential outflow of people to other states in the sub-region”.

It authorises “a multi-national interim force” to remain in Haiti for “not more than three months” to help restore stability and security and to support “the constitutional political process under way in Haiti”.

The security council will then be prepared to establish a UN peacekeeping force to remain in Haiti for a longer, unspecified period, it says.

The United States and France refused on Thursday to support the immediate deployment of a multinational force, insisting that there had to be a political settlement in Haiti first.

But with the departure of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide yesterday, the two countries – who were at odds during the Iraq war – jointly called for the emergency council meeting to get military troops into Haiti as quickly as possible.

The council also received a letter from Haiti’s Chief Justice Boniface Alexandre, who replaced Aristide after the former president fled, requesting an international force, said China’s UN ambassador Wang Guangya, the current security council president.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who was in the security council chamber for the vote, said afterwards that it sent a signal to the Haitian people “that the international community has not forgotten them”.

“We understand their need and we are standing by them in their hour of need,” he said. “The international community will do whatever it can to help stabilise the situation. I know some of them may think it’s a bit late, but it’s always ... better late than never, and we will do what we can to support them.”

Annan urged the Haitian people “to remain calm, to work with the new president, and to think of their country and their future, not individual ambitions”.

The force will also help provide humanitarian aid and international assistance to the Haitian police “in order to establish and maintain public safety and law and order and to promote and protect human rights”.

It expresses “utmost concern at the continuing violence in Haiti” and demands that both rebels and Aristide supporters end their attacks and respect human rights and international law. It stresses “that there will be individual accountability and no impunity for violators”.

The resolution also demands that all sides accept the constitutional succession of Alexandre, who declared he was taking over the Haitian presidency as called for by the constitution three hours after Aristide’s departure.

Annan was asked why Haitians should expect a better outcome now than 10 years ago, when US forces restored Aristide’s elected government to power.

“This time,” said Annan, “I hope the international community is not going to put a Band-Aid on, and that we are not only going to help stabilise the current situation, but assist the Haitians over the long haul and really help them pick up the pieces and build a stable country.”