Haiti

(Quelle: Reliefweb) Commander of the UN peacekeeping troops in Haiti, Brazilian general Augusto Heleno Ribeiro Pereira, said to disarm the Haitians in a short term is impossible, local media reported Monday. Ribeiro, who heads the United Nations Stabilization Mission for Haiti (MINUSTAH), said proliferation of arms has been a problem prevailing for the past 20 years in Haiti, and it's necessary to disarm Haitians in order to improve the country's infrastructure.

(Quelle: NZZ) Haiti findet nach den Unruhen von Anfang Jahr allmählich wieder zur Normalität zurück. Aller Augen richten sich auf die Übergangsregierung von Premierminister Latortue. Diese soll, unterstützt von der Uno-Friedenstruppe, für Sicherheit im Land und für geordnete Wahlen im kommenden Jahr sorgen.

(Quelle: UN News) A United Nations team has visited Hinche, a now-isolated town northeast of the capital, to assess the security and humanitarian situations in an area controlled by discharged Haitian military forces along the border with the Dominican Republic, the country with which Haiti shares the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. The UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) said a second object of yesterday's visit to the town, 130 kilometres from Port-au-Prince on the Central Plateau, was to prepare local political and religious authorities for the arrival of the full contingent of peacekeepers for the area.

(Quelle: Washington Post) Hundreds of supporters of ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide marched through the slums of Haiti's capital Wednesday to demand his return. Even as the crowd rallied against Haiti's new U.S.-backed interim government, a group of Caribbean nations announced that it would make a decision in about two weeks on whether to recognize the new leadership.

(Quelle: New York Times) Spain announced that Morocco had agreed to send troops to Haiti on a peacekeeping mission under Spanish command. It will be the first time that troops from the two countries, which have a history of tense relations, will deploy as a single military unit, Spanish officials said. The force will include about 100 Spaniards and 100 Moroccans, the officials said. Renwick McLean (NYT)

(Quelle: Washington Post) The new U.N. special envoy to Haiti said on Sunday that more troops would be needed before a U.N. force could begin the task of disarming rebels who overthrew President Jean-Bertrand Aristide this year. On a tour of rebel-held areas of the impoverished Caribbean country, Juan Gabriel Valdes said disarming all groups was essential to securing peace. But humanitarian aid and development were equally crucial.

(Quelle: UN News) The United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) today condemned clashes which left a number of police dead in the capital, Port-au-Prince. The Haitian police responded to yesterday's attacks with MINUSTAH's backing. During two raids, more than 20 suspects were arrested and weapons were collected, according to the mission.

(Quelle: New York Times) Organizers of an international donors conference for Haiti next week said they hoped to raise $924 million to jump-start its ravaged economy and lay the foundation for a return to democratic rule. The proposal, which is backed by the World Bank and the United Nations, identifies four main areas for financing: promoting security and national dialogue; budgeting and procurement; economic recovery; and basic services.

(Quelle: UN News) Secretary-General Kofi Annan has named former Chilean Foreign Minister Juan Gabriel Valdés as his Special Representative to Haiti and head of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Caribbean country (MINUSTAH), a UN spokesperson announced today. Mr. Valdés, a human rights activist, was Chile's Ambassador to the UN from May 2000 until June 2003 and the country's Foreign Minister from June 1999 to March 2000.

(Quelle: taz) Mit großer Mehrheit hat das spanische Parlament am Dienstagabend die Entsendung von zusätzlich rund 900 Soldaten nach Afghanistan zur Unterstützung der Isaf-Schutztruppe gebilligt. Zudem stimmte es einem Einsatz von 110 Beamten der paramilitärischen Guardia Civil im Rahmen einer UN-Mission im krisengebeutelten Haiti zu.