The US State Department provides further details on the deployment of a multinational force in Haiti.
Alongside the Kenyan government, several other countries have expressed their willingness to participate in this multinational mission.
These include the Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Chile, Canada, the United Kingdom and other members of the Organization of American States (OAS). Kenya has promised to provide one thousand police officers. The mission is expected to “improve security in Haiti, send personnel to secure critical infrastructure sites, and enable the national police to improve their focus on anti-gang efforts, after which an assessment will be conducted in Haiti”, said Barbara A. Feinstein, Assistant Secretary of State for Caribbean Affairs and Haiti.
A Kenyan mission is due to be dispatched to Haiti in the next few weeks to assess the situation. After this stage, the decision should be validated by the various branches of the Kenyan government before being submitted to the United Nations for approval.
Asked about the possibility of the resolution failing, given past opposition from Russia and China, Ms. Feinstein was confident.
“… We continue to discuss with the members of the Security Council, but also with other countries around the world, to try to ensure the passage of this resolution. As far as China and Russia are concerned, I can’t speak for other countries, but I would like to say that we were very encouraged by the adoption one year ago of the authorization of the Haiti mandate at the United Nations in mid-July, which supported the concept of a multinational force, of course, subject to the ultimate approval of the United Nations,” said Barbara Feinstein.
The U.S. official was unable, however, to give a timetable for the mission’s deployment in Haiti. Nor was she in a position to give any details on the nature of US participation in this mission. That will depend on the results of the Kenya assessment, Ms. Feinstein said, adding nonetheless that the U.S. will support the mission with personnel and financial backing.
“If Kenya does indeed take the lead of this force, it will be Kenya that will have to identify what the needs are and what the character of this force should be, of course in consultation with the UN as authorized by the resolution. Once we have enough details, we’ll be in a better position to provide information about the United States’ contribution. In any case, we can tell you that we intend to support this initiative very soberly, very strongly and solidly.”
As for the composition of the mission, the American diplomat asserts that the multinational force should be composed mainly of police officers, but that there will also be military personnel.
The United Nations High Council will present its report on the situation in Haiti on August 15. This report should clarify the terms and conditions of the multinational mission that will soon be dispatched to Haiti. At this session, the United States will formally present a resolution on the deployment of the multinational force. “We look forward to working with our partners in the Security Council to this end, and by August 15 the UN will produce a report on security, all of which will undoubtedly influence how this force is realized. “Barbara A. Feinstein, Assistant Secretary of State for Caribbean Affairs and Haiti, said at a press conference on Friday. Barbara A. Feinstein also took the opportunity to call on other countries to participate in the next multinational mission in Haiti by providing equipment, personnel and financial resources, among other things.
Note: Quotations are taken from the French text translated simultaneously at the press conference. There may be a slight difference with the English version.