It is the Reuters agency that published the information this Wednesday, October 25, 2022. There are developments in the file of the Haitian crisis at the level of the U.S. State Department.
The U.S. administration is confident that it can find U.N. member countries to advance the Security Council resolution and find countries to lead the multinational force to address the humanitarian crisis in Haiti, Assistant Secretary of State Brian Nichols said on Wednesday, Reuters reported.
The force is expected to arrive in the country in early November, Reuters reported, citing a briefing by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Brian A. Nichols around Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Canada starting Thursday.
According to the U.S. official, the thorny issue of the Haitian crisis will be on the menu of discussions between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“I don’t agree at all with the idea that a resolution authorizing a multinational force is in jeopardy,” Brian A. Nichols said, adding that he expected the direction of the force to become clear as the talks move forward in the coming days, Reuters writes.
“I’m confident we’ll have something by early November, both a resolution and leadership for the force. So I think things are moving very much on schedule,” Nichols said.
“The multinational force, as requested by the Haitian government would largely be a police force with a military component. The international community, I think, every country wants to understand what role they would play. And let me emphasize that the United States will play an active and robust role, but that role will be focused on our forces. And we are working with our partner countries in the hemisphere and around the world to contribute to that force,” the U.S. official said before reaffirming his enthusiasm.
“I’m very confident in the way the conversation is going about the role and responsibilities of everyone,” said Nichols, who expressed confidence that by early November there will be a resolution and leadership for the force.
The meeting of the U.S. Secretary of State with the Canadian Prime Minister comes at a time when the Americans are trying to convince some UN member countries to send troops to Haiti at the request of de facto Prime Minister Ariel Henry. But for the time being, no country seems interested in responding favorably to the request of the American government, which itself has no intention of contributing militarily to this international force, according to what ZoomHaitiNews learned several weeks ago from a source close to the State Department.
Several attempts by the United Nations Security Council to pass a resolution on this issue have not been successful. Russia and China have vetoed the resolution, arguing that sending troops to Haiti will not solve the major problems facing Haiti. They had also demanded a thorough investigation into the assassination of President Jovenel Moise, in which the name of the current Prime Minister Ariel Henry was mentioned.