Friday, November 17, 2006

UNITED NATIONS, (AFP): The Security Council on Thursday voiced deep regret over the deaths of two Jordanian UN peacekeepers last week and reiterated its support for the Haitian government and the UN mission there.

In a statement read by Peru's UN Ambassador Jorge Voto-Bernales, the 15-member council's president for November, council members said they "deeply regretted the deaths" of the two Jordanians and extended their condolences to their families and the Jordanian kingdom.

They also reaffirmed their support to the Haitian government and to the UN mission known as Minustah "in their quest of peace, stability and progress for all Haitians, particularly in the fight against gang violence."

The council members also expressed hope that municipal and local elections scheduled for December 3 would take place in a peaceful atmosphere.

Jordan has around 1,497 soldiers in Minustah, half of whom are deployed around the violence-wracked shantytown of Cite Soleil in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince.

Amman has said it will be undeterred by the killings.

At least six Jordanian soldiers have been killed in the Caribbean nation since they were deployed in March 2004.

Minustah, which was established in 2004 and is under Brazilian command, is made up of 7,500 military troops, including more than 1,200 Brazilians, and 2,000 international police.

Last month, thousands of Haitians protested in the streets of Port-au-Prince's huge Cite Soleil shantytown, demanding the withdrawal of UN forces.

  Most popular articles: viewed, printed and e-mailed

  Printable version