The head of Humanitarian Affairs of the United Nations, John Holmes, in Geneva on Tuesday defended the actions of American and Canadian forces in Haiti to the UN sides, arguing that there was no attempt to dominate the country militarily .
“There is no real problem with their presence. They are not trying to dominate the country militarily, they have no other purpose than the relief operation, told the press on sub – UN Secretary for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes.
“We are very happy they are there,” he said. “They have done things that we were not able, like managing the airport, help repair the port or by air transport very heavy objects that we could not carry ourselves in the first weeks.
Holmes acknowledged that American troops would sometimes help the Mission of the United Nations Stabilization in Haiti (MINUSTAH) to provide security during food distribution or, more rarely, to protect aid convoys.
But “the force keeping the peace is the primary responsibility for safety is so since the beginning and nobody disputes,” he said, estimating that U.S. and Canadian troops should not stay more than ” few months “in Haiti.
“I think that as as the UN and the normal aid is increasing, and this is beginning to accelerate now, their presence is less and less necessary and will be happy to retire,” Did he said, asserting that the U.S. military and Canadian “have other things to do.”
The United States has deployed some 20,000 troops on land and sea to participate in humanitarian aid after the earthquake of 12 January which was 170,000 deaths.
This deployment has been criticized by some South American states, including Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia and Ecuador, who see it as an “occupation” of the poorest country in the Americas.
