Uruguay Defense Minister Eleuterio Fernandez Huidobro
Sept 8, 2011--Al Jazeera is reporting on an emergency meeting of foreign and defense ministers of UNASUR countries in Montevideo today to discuss the situation in Haiti following the revelations of the latest outrages by MINUSTAH soldiers, in this case Uruguyan, against the Haitian people.
Foreign Minister of Uruguay, Luis Almagro, told AJ that his and allied Latin American countries have been discussing for some time a drawdown of their commitments of soldiers to MINUSTAH. A "gradual" drawdown is envisioned to commence in 2012, he said. The 'gradualist' view is also held by Brazil's defense minister, as reported in various news sources, including the BBC report below.
The Al Jazeera report said there is a protest of Uruguyans at the UNASUR meeting demanding Uruguay withdraw from MINUSTAH.
A September 5 Miami Herald article posted to the CHIP website reports that as international funding for cholera prevention and treatment recedes, calls in Haiti for compensation from the UN to victims are growing. Reporter Jacqueline Charles writes:
Earlier this year, Haitian lawmakers formed a cholera commission in parliament. The commission’s objectives are unclear, but with recently erected billboards around Port-au-Prince saying cholera and the peacekeeping mission are "one and the same," calls are increasing for U.N. compensation...
"They have a moral responsibility to find money so these people can get help,"’ said Sen. Simon Desras of the Central Plateau.
Brazilian minister of defense argues for withdrawal of troops from Haiti
[Translation of an article from BBC Brasil on Monday, September 5. See original (Portugese) here. Reposted to www.lo-de-alla.org, 'News and views from Latin America.']
By Marcia Carmo
Brazil needs to begin thinking about the gradual departure of its troops from Haiti, Defense Minister Celso Amorim said Monday in the Brazilian embassy in Buenos Aires. In an interview, Amorim said that there should first be a gradual reduction of troops in accordance with a schedule agreed to jointly by the countries of Unasur (Unión de Naciones Sudamericanos – Union of South American Nations) and the United Nations before the complete withdrawal.
“We cannot have a disorganized exit, which would create a chaotic situation,” the minister said. “We should take a responsible attitude in relation to Haiti and in relation to ourselves. Now, in the medium term and the long term, it is not good for Haiti or for those who are there that the presence be perpetual,” he said.
Amorim affirmed that this will be the principal topic of a meeting of Unasur in Montevideo on Thursday. According to the defense minister, it is necessary to avoid a situation of “false comfort” in relation to the presence of soldiers in Haiti. “We have to discuss it in a calm way. But (the question of the troops) has to be looked at.”
His statements were made after a decision by Uruguay to bring back five “blue helmets,” as military personnel of the UN peace mission are called, after accusations that they had committed sexual abuse against an adolescent in Haiti.
Amorim said he did not know about the case. According to him, the meeting in Uruguay will not take up this matter. He believes the incident is an isolated one and cannot affect the image of MINUSTAH. “The entire peace mission cannot be stained by one particular incident,” he said.
Meanwhile, when asked if the troops in Haiti might be suffering from stress, Amorim said, “Any soldier anywhere in the world suffers from stress.”
Stability
Amorim affirmed that the critical security situation in the country has been resolved, after two elections and an increase in the presence of troops following the earthquake that occurred in January, 2010. “Political science textbooks teach that the second election is the one that indicates that democracy has been consolidated,” the minister said.
The minister declared meanwhile that the decision on leaving Haiti should be made not solely by Defense but also by President Dilma Rousseff and by the Ministry of Foreign Relations, a position he had occupied in the administration of former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Amorim said that he and the minister of foreign relations, Antonio Patriota, discussed the subject last week and agreed to the reduction and the future withdrawal of the troops.
The minister affirmed that a unilateral decision will not be made by Brazil or by the countries of Unasur, but they should act jointly with the UN. Amorim said that there is still no time-table for this reduction of troops and their possible withdrawal from the country. The minister stated that the reduction in Brazilian troops will be small initially because the Brazilians are in the Port-au-Prince area, which is the most critical.
The minister went to Argentina for meetings with President Christina Kirchner and with his colleague from the neighboring country, Arturo Puricelli. According to Amorim, subjects concerning cooperation in the area of defense were discussed.