HAITI: U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon meets Haiti's President Rene Preval and recommends an extension of the U.N. mission there

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon meets Haiti's President Rene Preval and recommends an extension of the U.N. mission there. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Haiti on Wednesday (August 01) for a 36-hour, check-up tour of the impoverished Caribbean island. Ki-moon met with President René Préval and Prime Minister Jacque Edourad Alexis to discuss the challenges that still lie ahead in reviving the poorest country in the Americas. The two leaders also discussed the issue of the U.N. mission in Haiti, known as Minustah, which is scheduled to end in October. Ki-Moon said that he would recommend an extension of the mandate, but Preval said that Haitians have mixed feelings on the U.N. security presence. "If you ask the population if they wanted Minustah to leave, the response would be yes. But if you asked them if they wanted them to leave now, the response would be not so soon" he told a news conference, adding that the population is benefiting from the help and the security stabilization that the U.N. mission brings to the country. Ki-Moon tried to mollify Haitians, and cast Minustah in a positive light. He said nobody should see the presence of soldiers and police from other member states as anything other than a cooperative and friendly engagement "to help Haiti establish a more secure state, free of violence, discord and war". "We are not here to impose anything on you," he said. Decades of political turmoil and violent coups has raked Haiti since 1961, but the country is beginning to see signs of stability after the democratic elections last year. The nation's moribund economy is also beginning to show signs of life as the government takes steps to reduce inflation and poverty and increase tax revenues. On Thursday Ki-moon is due to visit Cite Soleil - Haiti's largest slum. Cite Soleil has been the most important target for U.N. peacekeepers sent in under Brazilian leadership in 2004 on a mission to clear out armed gangs.

ITN Source | August 2, 2007

Tags:. .brings. .source. .asked. .ask. .since