BAN CALLS FOR MORE PEACEKEEPERS TO BE SENT TO QUAKE-DEVASTATED HAITI

BAN CALLS FOR MORE PEACEKEEPERS TO BE SENT TO QUAKE-DEVASTATED HAITI
New York, Jan 18 2010 12:10PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called for an additional 3,500 United Nations troops and police officers to be deployed to Haiti, which was devastated last week by a catastrophic earthquake, to ensure that aid reaches the victims of the disaster as quickly as possible.

Mr. Ban, who yesterday visited the capital, Port-au-Prince, asked the Security Council today for an extra 1,500 police officers and 2,000 troops to reinforce the UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti, known as <"http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/missions/minustah/">MINUSTAH, to augment its 9,000 uniformed personnel already on the ground.

The "heartbreaking" scenes he witnessed yesterday "compel us to act swiftly and generously," he told reporters at UN Headquarters in New York.

"The Haitian people need to see that today is better than yesterday."

Following his day-long visit to Haiti, already the Western Hemisphere's poorest nation before the disaster, the Secretary-General identified two main challenges.

First, he said, any bottlenecks in the aid operation must be resolved to ensure that the relief reaches people in need as quickly as possible.

The second and "most important" challenge is coordination of that effort, Mr. Ban noted.

MINUSTAH and others taking part in the operation have agreed on a clear division of responsibilities regarding the provision of security and humanitarian support, he said.

Surmounting these obstacles will require increasing the number of the mission's personnel, the Secretary-General told the Council today.

The earthquake, one of the most serious natural disasters in decades, also represents the single biggest loss to the UN.

UN spokesperson Martin Nesirky announced today that 46 international personnel serving with the world body in Haiti have been confirmed dead.

They include Mr. Ban's Special Representative to Haiti, Hédi Annabi, as well as his Deputy Luiz Carlos da Costa and Acting Police Commissioner Doug Coates of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
<font color="#CC0000" size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, sans-serif"><b>MORE TO FOLLOW</b></font>
Jan 18 2010 12:10PM
________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/apps/news/email/