UN stabilising force to deploy to Haiti 'immediately'

A UN peacekeeping force will be dispatched "immediately" to the troubled Caribbean island of Haiti following the resignation and subsequent departure of its president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, the Security Council has confirmed.

The Council decided that the operation would be stationed in Haiti "for a period of not more than three months", and there will also be a follow-on UN stabilization force deployed to support the continuation of a "peaceful and constitutional political process" and the maintenance of a secure and stable environment.

Rebel forces have already entered the capital – contrary to commitments made to US officials – and there has been a general breakdown of law and order in the past 24 hours.

Canadian special forces have secured the airport at Port-au-Prince and a contingent of US marines arrived in Haiti late last night. France, the former colonial master of the island, has said that it will also be sending a force of around 300 troops to support the work of the stabilising force.

The blue-helmet force, or 'Multinational Interim Force', will contribute to a "secure and stable environment", facilitate the "provision of relief aid to those in need", and help the Haitian police and the Haitian Coast Guard "maintain law and order and protect human rights", the UN said.

Member states have been called on to "urgently" contribute personnel, equipment and other necessary financial and logistic resources to the force.

The Council's action followed an appeal by Haiti's acting President, Supreme Court judge Boniface Alexandre, for urgent international support in restoring peace and security.

He took over after Jean-Bertrand Aristide fled into exile in the Cental African Republic yesterday saying that he had stepped aside to avoid more "bloodshed" – and also because he could not count on the support of the US to once again maintain order. The South African government has reportedly said today that it would consider an asylum application from the former president.

The Council has demanded that all the parties to the conflict halt the violence, reiterating that "there will be individual accountability and no impunity for [human rights] violators". It further demanded respect for the constitutional succession and the political process under way to resolve the current crisis.

Secretary General Kofi Annan said that the UN takes the long-view in its commitment to restoring law and order to Haiti.

"The international community is not going to put a band-aid on, and we are not only going to help stabilize the current situation, but assist the Haitians over the long haul and really help them pick up the pieces and build a stable country," he said.

He then called on the Haitian people to "remain calm, to work with the new President, and to think of their country and their future, not individual ambitions".

(gmcg)