UN plans emergency aid appeal for Haiti

Saturday, February 21, 2004

UNITED NATIONS (AFP): The UN's emergency relief coordinator said Friday the world body will issue an urgent appeal for millions of dollars in aid to help address a looming catastrophe in Haiti.

UN undersecretary general Jan Egeland told AFP his Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs hopes to have the appeal ready around the end of February.

He declined to give a specific figure but hinted it could be in the tens of millions of dollars to provide food and medical supplies as well as assistance with conflict resolution and the fight against AIDS.

Around 60 people have been killed in the last two weeks amid a mounting rebellion against President Jean Bertrand Aristide.

The UN's head of political affairs, Kieran Prendergast, said Friday that the situation was "alarming and dangerous" and warned that the international community will have to take action.

The US State Department said that an internationally backed plan to head off further bloodshed was delivered earlier Friday to Aristide, ahead of a major international mission to begin on Saturday.

The White House said Friday the plan does not call for Aristide to step down.

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