Activists oppose renewal of UN Mission in Haiti

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UNITED NATIONS (FinalCall.com) - The UN Security Council created the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti, known by its French acronym MINUSTAH, keep what was seen as a polarized Haiti from violent implosion following the ouster of democratically elected president Jean Bertrand Aristide by Western powers.

The 15-member Security Council has unanimously adopted a resolution to extend the controversial peacekeeping mission until Oct. 15, 2013, with a planned draw-down of troop strength from 7,340 to 6,270. According to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, the key prerequisite for total withdrawal is having a 16,000 strong national police force in Haiti. The force was first authorized in 2004.
Inside the Security Council chamber during an open meeting, Haiti’s Ambassador to the United Nations Jean Wesley Cazeau said his government was pleased with the plan for “configuring” MINUSTAH.

U.S. ambassador Susan Rice told the council the U.S. government would remain a “steadfast friend” to the Caribbean nation. However, Ambassador Rice added: “The mission must remain effective in achieving its mandate and adhere to the highest standards.”

Meanwhile, across the street from UN headquarters at 42 St. and First Ave., activists from the Haitian American Justice Coalition argued the past eight years of MINUSTAH’s mandate represented a debilitating military occupation by the UN, U.S., France and Canada.

“The highest standard would be a complete withdrawal,” said Jean Robert Lafortune, an activist with the Justice Coalition.

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BBC NEWS: UN 'should take blame for Haiti cholera' - US House members

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More than 100 Democrats from the US House of Representatives have called on the UN to take responsibility for introducing cholera to Haiti. 

It is the latest twist in the allegation that UN peacekeepers unwittingly introduced the disease.
The United Nations' envoy to Haiti, Bill Clinton, has accepted UN soldiers may have brought cholera.
But with more than 7,000 deaths so far, the UN said tackling the disease is more important than attributing blame.

Outbreak source
 
In a letter to the US Ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice, the 104 members of Congress stated clearly: "Cholera was brought to Haiti due to the actions of the UN."

They call on Ms Rice to pressure the UN to "confront and ultimately eliminate" the disease.
The letter says the UN should help Haiti mobilise enough money to build water and sewage systems to tackle the disease.

While members of Congress often weigh in on foreign policy issues like Iran or Israel, it is unusual for so many members to sign a letter about a small Caribbean state like Haiti.

I gathered strong circumstantial evidence that UN peacekeepers brought cholera to Haiti during a visit late last year:

• The epidemic started near a Nepalese UN base
• The UN base dumped raw sewage, which spreads the disease, near the country's main Artibonite River
• Cholera spread down the Artibonite River and into the slums of the capital Port au Prince
• Cholera was endemic in Nepal but had not been present in Haiti for a century

Mr Clinton has acknowledged that UN soldiers were the "proximate cause" of the cholera.

But UN officials shy away from taking full blame or issuing an apology.

They say tackling the disease is more important than apportioning blame.

They may also be reticent because Haitian and US lawyers are trying to sue the UN for financial compensation for the victims of cholera.