Reply #26: French Considering Haiti Peacekeepers [View All]

[Judi Lynn]

French Considering Haiti Peacekeepers
1 hour, 12 minutes ago

By MARK STEVENSON, Associated Press Writer

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - Haiti's premier said his country was in the throes of a coup and appealed Tuesday for international help — even as Washington and Paris stated reluctance to use force to stop the blood uprising.

In Paris, French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin called an emergency meeting Tuesday to weigh the risks of sending peacekeepers and how otherwise to help the impoverished island, a former colony that is home to 2,000 French citizens.

"Can we deploy a peacekeeping force?" he asked on France-Inter radio, noting it "is very difficult" when a nation is in the midst of violence.

He said France had 4,000 troops in its Caribbean territories of Martinique and Guadeloupe trained in humanitarian work. "We are in contact with all of our partners in the framework of the United Nations (news - web sites), which has sent a humanitarian mission to Haiti to see what is possible."
(snip/...)

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040217/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/haiti_uprising_17