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Haiti police force best for security: United Nations
Presidential spokesman Lucien Jura couldn’t be reached for comment Thursday evening.
The 15-member U.N. delegation visited the western port of Miragoane and the country’s second biggest city, Cap-Haitien. In the north, the diplomats toured an industrial park and, Rice said, a “tragically overcrowded” prison and an “underperforming” court.
On Thursday, the delegation went to a camp for people displaced by the earthquake and a hospital that houses a treatment center for cholera patients.
The news conference coincided with a small street protest outside the international airport. About 80 demonstrators accused United Nations operations in Haiti of causing more harm than good.
The U.N. mission and its peacekeepers have been blamed for introducing the cholera outbreak that has spread throughout Haiti and are also tied to allegations of abuse of children in the past year.
“We take very seriously any instances of sexual abuse, exploitation and violence, especially those committed by U.N. personnel,” Rice said. “They must and will be thoroughly investigated, and the perpetuators will be brought to justice.”
Several cases involving U.N. troops are under investigation.
The U.N. set up the peacekeeping force in Haiti in 2004 to provide stability following the overthrow of then-President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. The mandate for the force of 11,000 soldiers will come up before the Security Council for renewal in October.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press
