|
|
|
 |
|
|
Brazilian FM Threatens with Pulling Out Troops from Haiti
By Prensa Latina
Posted: Dec 21, 2004 15:34 UTC
|
RIO DE JANEIRO (PL) - Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim has threatened with pulling out his country´s troops from Haiti within six months if the international community fails to take part in the reconstruction process of this tiny Caribbean nation.
In remarks from Port au Prince where he will hand over snacks for 30,000 school children and sign cooperation agreements on agriculture and other fields on Tuesday, Amorim said that "if we notice that obstacles are great and repression is the only expectation among Haitians and the international community, then we will have to weight our involvement in the mission," he warned.
If everything goes well, I think that we will be there until elections (late 2005), Brazilian FM said.
Brazil sent at least a 1,200-strong battalion of naval riflemen and other support to Haiti in order to join the UN-sponsored reconstruction effort there.
He said the task has not been easy. The island´s economic situation and politically-motivated street violence have hindered the UN mission"s work.
UN troops in Haiti are not complete as some countries that promised to contribute forces failed to do it. Only 790 troops have landed in Port au Prince, from the 6,700 originally expected.
At least 90 percent of the troops are expected to be in the country by year-end.
We are optimistic but not naive, said Amorim referring to the operation success.
Meanwhile, the US-installed Prime Minister of Haiti Gerald Latortue said August 18 has been declared Peace Day, a national holiday.
That date Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was visiting the Haitian capital to attend a football game between a Brazilian and a local team.
But despite Brazil´s solidarity gestures and the presence of troops from the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Iraq, tension prevails in the Caribbean island.
rma/lms/mh
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
You may bookmark this web page, print it or e-mail it to
a friend in accordance with the fair-use provisions of
copyright laws. The material is intended solely for the use
of the individual user.
Archiving, redistribution, or republication of this
material
on other terms, in any medium, requires the express
written permission of the author or publication and the
notification of the editors of CaribSeek News. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
