EU to send police to Haiti, despite British objections
(BRUSSELS) - European nations agreed on Monday to send a mission of more than 300 police officers to help ease aid coordination and distribution in quake-hit Haiti.
European Union foreign ministers meeting in Brussels agreed on a total contribution of "at least 300 officers" to help the UN's stabilisation mission in Haiti, EU foreign policy supremo Catherine Ashton told reporters.
France's European Affairs Minister Pierre Lellouche, whose country is one of the biggest contributors with 140 officers, said the MINUSTAH mission could reach 350 people on the ground.
Italy will offer around 100 officers, following a United Nations call to boost the figures.
On Sunday, the mission head Edmond Mulet said there was an enormous need for personnel, fuel and vehicles.
Spain, which holds the EU's rotating presidency, and The Netherlands will also contribute, possibly alongside Portuguese and Romanian police, meaning Europe will at least double the UN's request for 150 officers.
"Together we will represent the EU in this role of guaranteeing the security and above all the arrival of the emergency aid which the Haitians' need," said Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos.
Britain has been cool on the plan, insisting that the United States -- with some 20,000 troops in the area -- had more than enough personnel to provide for security needs.
"I'm not sure that that is necessarily the right way to go," Britain's minister for Europe Chris Bryant told reporters as he arrived for the talks.
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband underlined: "The security presence that has been established has been vital and I think actually the United States has done well on that."
The EU is the biggest humanitarian aid donor in the world and has already earmarked more than 420 million euros (600 million dollars) in emergency and reconstruction aid for Haiti -- where at least 150,000 people were thought killed in the January 12 quake.
However the EU's efforts have little visibility on the ground.
The United States, some 300 kilometres (210 miles) from Haiti and with troops in the region, has been able to mobilise vast quantities of aid and resources, and has led supply and search and rescue work in tandem with the UN.
The EU's police mission is dwarfed by comparison but Miliband insisted: "We back up the American and UN efforts because this is a UN enterprise."
Germany will not take part due to restrictions under its constitution.
The EU has been struggling to find 200 gendarmes to fill out its police mission in Afghanistan, where experts needed to build a national security force capable of protecting its own people are in desperately short supply.
The EU foreign ministers also agreed to create a "coordination cell" in Brussels, to avoid doubling up individual efforts by member states.
The moves come after Ashton was accused of not taking a high-profile role in the aid efforts, failing for instance to visit Haiti since the devastating quake.
"What was certainly missing was (EU) visibility right away, a flag right away," said Lellouche, adding that the creation of a European emergency aid force would help.
That idea has been rolling around EU corridors for several years without any result.
Ashton defended herself by saying she had only been in her job for six weeks.
She promised: "We will look at the lessons learned and come forward with proposals," in order to get aid out quicker in the case of future catastrophes.
Text and Picture Copyright 2010 AFP. All other Copyright 2010 EUbusiness Ltd. All rights reserved. This material is intended solely for personal use. Any other reproduction, publication or redistribution of this material without the written agreement of the copyright owner is strictly forbidden and any breach of copyright will be considered actionable.
