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Haiti UN peacekeeping force led by Brazil will begin gradual pullout

Friday, September 9th 2011 - 02:24 UTC
Full article 5 comments
Amorim said “we’re talking of a first pullout of 10% to 15% of the troops” Amorim said “we’re talking of a first pullout of 10% to 15% of the troops”

Brazil's Defense minister said on Thursday that Haiti's peacekeeping force of 12,000 soldiers and police, known as MINUSTAH, will begin a gradual withdrawal aimed at turning security over to the Haitians, but not imperiling the stability achieved.

Celso Amorim said that Brazil that heads Minustah, is negotiating with the United Nations to begin the pullback, but will keep troops in Haiti until local forces are ready to take over.

“We’re talking with the UN of a first pullout of 10% to 15% of the troops which is more or less equivalent to the reinforcements sent following the deadly earthquake of January 2010”, said Amorim.

The Brazilian minister spoke after lunching with Uruguayan President Jose Mujica in Montevideo, where ministers from the Latin American peacekeeping nations held a long-planned meeting on the future of the UN mission in Haiti.

The meeting has been overshadowed by allegations that Uruguayan peacekeepers sexually abused a young Haitian man inside their UN base, an event apparently captured on a Uruguayan's cell-phone video.

“It’s not common for heads of government to apologize or adopt such an attitude as President Mujica has done, which only reveals the dignity of the Uruguayan people. But an isolated incident can’t tarnish the excellent support and performance of the Uruguayan troops all these years in helping support stability and peace in Haiti”, underlined Amorim.

The minister described it as “a lamentable and isolated act”. Brazil leads the peacekeeping mission, so Amorim’s comments both on the scandal and the mission's future hold particular weight.

Mujica also, has said that he wants a gradual reduction in the UN peacekeeping force. “We aren't in Haiti to retire” he said.

Regarding the meting of Foreign Affairs and Defense ministers from Latin American countries involved in Minustah (UN mission for the stabilization of Haiti) Amorim said although the peacekeeping forces ‘can’t remain for ever’, they can’t pullout unless it is done in a responsible way.

“We must find the right balance, with the correct messages for the Haitian government and also for the international community, assessing all factors and in coordination with United Nations”, added Amorim.

Uruguay’s Foreign Affaire minister Luis Almagro said that in the case of Haiti, as in all those places where Uruguayan peacekeeping forces are stationed under UN command, “it is essential to combine the elements of security with those of budgets and in accordance with the legitimate authorities of those counties.

“Any pullout must be coordinated with the local government and with United Nations to ensure the sustainability of the Haitian security system in such a way that we comply with the original objective of the peace mission”, said Almagro.

He added that the Police in Haiti has become one of the institutions with better public opinion image and in several regions “security, law and order is good; we estimate that in three to four years Haiti can fully recover and manage its security”.

The alleged abuse by Uruguayan sailors at their base in Port-Salut happened in July but became public last week when two Haitians spotted the video on a sailor's phone and shared it with a local reporter.
 

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  • GeoffWard2

    I rather got the impression that the Brasilian-led Minustah proved not up to the task, particularly once the earthquake struck.
    Did not the USA just take over and effectively got the heavy job done?

    Sep 09th, 2011 - 08:36 pm 0
  • Forgetit87

    ^
    ^
    Lol

    Sep 10th, 2011 - 02:19 am 0
  • Fido Dido

    Did not the USA just take over and effectively got the heavy job done?

    You rather have that into your thick head, because it doesn't fit in your mind that a nation like Brazil could handle it and still handles it well. Geoff, seriously, what you have been taught in the UK about the rest of the world, at your government school and how to think, how to act, was pure to keep you dumb and a tool for them. You still haven't figured that out huh. And to anser that question if the US took over and got the job heavy job done. No, they didn't. Where do you get your information from huh? Zombie news BBC international?

    You see Forget, this is what I meant awhile ago why Europe never goes forward. There are thousands of idiots like geoff there with that mindset. Sadly. That's one of the reasons I left from there and don't bother much with expatriots here. Their knowledge is terrible, don't even bother to do their proper homework, but in their head, they are superior. They can't and will never change and unfortunately the youth there is taking it over, because they're being taught by clowns like him at high schools and universities and don't question them or don't do their own homework.

    Old people are nice, but oh lord they can be so dumb fuck stupid.

    Sep 10th, 2011 - 05:38 am 0
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