Ministers agree to gradual withdrawal of troops from Haiti
[Translation of an article from El País of Montevideo, Uruguay, for September 8. See original here.]
The defense ministers who met today in Montevideo have agreed to a gradual withdrawal of blue helmets deployed in Haiti. The intention is to reduce the personnel to the level that existed before the earthquake of 2010, when there were 9,000 military and police personnel in the country.
In a press conference, Foreign Minister Luis Almagro read a joint statement by Unasur (Unión de Naciones Suramericanas) that “recommends supporting the United Nations in the reduction of troops to the levels authorized before the earthquake without damaging the stability and security of the country.”
Brazilian Defense Minister Antonio Patriota had earlier proposed that “the discussion be based on this theme, that of reverting to the levels existing before” the earthquake of January 12, 2010, after which the United Nations peace forces increased from 9,000 members to 12,250, of which 8,700 were military and 3,500 were police.
Patriot is confident the decision will be adopted at the time of the renewal of the mandate for the United Nations Mission for the Stabilization of Haiti (MINUSTAH) on October 15, when the Security Council discusses its future.
“The new mandate would establish this new level, but this has to be discussed with the other countries in the Security Council and with the Haitian government itself,” he indicated.
He recalled nevertheless that the South American countries represent a little more than 40 percent of the military personnel in MINUSTAH.
“There is a convergence of ideas and visions on how we should negotiate this new mandate,” he added. “And always within a plan reaffirming Unasur’s commitment to Peace, security and economic, social, institutional development of Haiti within the framework of the United Nations.”
Brazil, with 2,166 troops in Haiti, exercises military command over MINUSTAH, which was deployed in June, 2004, and is made up of 18 countries, most of them Latin American, including Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay, the latter country having the most troops in relation to its population.
Uruguayan Foreign Minister Luis Almagro in turn stressed that the objective of the South American countries is “to adapt the United Nations mandate to the needs of Haiti and that will depend on how Haiti, with its own capacities, can gradually replace MINUSTAH.”
According to Almagro, “There are places where these troops are no longer needed because the Haitian efforts have brought about conditions of security. (But) there are places where the troops are needed. This should be studied point by point, region by region.”
MINUSTAH was formed by the UN to replace the multinational force of 3,600 soldiers, made up mostly by United States and French forces, charged in 2004 with reestablishing security and facilitating the distribution of humanitarian aide in the country after the forced departure of former President Jean-Bertrand Arisitide.
Debate over the future of the mission is taking place at a time when UN soldiers in Haiti, already accused of introducing cholera into the country, are again under scrutiny over the presumed rape of a Haitian youth by Uruguayan personnel, reviving calls for withdrawal of the blue helmets.
Uruguayan President José Mujica on Tuesday sent a letter to his Haitian counterpart apologizing for the “assault” by the blue helmets and promised to enforce the “greatest sanctions” on those responsible. The Uruguayan government as well as the UN have opened several investigations into the case.
The special representative of the secretary general of the United Nations in Haiti, Chilean Mariano Fernández, stated today that the rapid and energetic response by the Uruguayan government “has produced great international admiration.”
Fewer than ten demonstrators gathered in front of the Club de la Fuerza Aérea in a residential area of the capital, where the meeting was held, to demand the withdrawal of the peace troops from Haiti.
Tags: Haiti, Jose Mujica, MINUSTAH, Union de Naciones Suramericanas, United Nations, Uruguay, withdrawal