CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY (CARICOM) chairman, Prime Minister P.J. Patterson, has written to the United Nations (U.N.) Security Council, requesting the intervention of a U.N.-led peacekeeping force in the ongoing civil unrest in Haiti.

Emphasising CARICOM's condemnation of the breakdown of law and order in Haiti, the Prime Minister told reporters yesterday that he has placed Foreign Affairs Minister K.D. Knight on standby to participate in talks at the U.N. in New York.

"If a decision has to be taken by the Security Council, we would expect discussions to commence before the end of this week," he emphasised.
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Speaking to journalists after a briefing at Jamaica House, Mr. Patterson reiterated CARICOM's position that the regional grouping would not support the unconstitutional removal of the government of any member-state.

"We will not recognise any government that comes to office by unconstitutional or illegitimate means," he stated. "We think it is very important, particularly in the case of Haiti, where we are seeking to support a fledgling democracy, that the principle of that constitution be fully observed."
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Mr. Patterson says President Aristide had written to him, seeking CARICOM's help in strengthening the 4,500-strong police force in a country of nearly eight million.

With the Haitian opposition yesterday rejecting a power-sharing solution, the necessity of an international peacekeeping force entering the French-speaking nation has taken on renewed urgency.

Mr. Patterson said he was unable to predict when the Security Council would make a final decision, but added that CARICOM was pressing that body to deal urgently with the matter.

He pointed out that the recent CARICOM Action Plan had been endorsed by the United States, France, Canada, the OAS, and the European Union. He said CARICOM expected Aristide to abide by the terms, which include making frequent public reports on his adherence to the plan.

The CARICOM chairman said he had also been in direct contact with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, underscoring the need to safeguard democracy and restore law and order in Haiti.

Commenting on the influx of Haitians here, he said Jamaica was forced to accept them under international law, and that the country will keep them here until the political tension subsides in Haiti.

If Caricom and the U.S. waits for the U.N. to act, many more will die in Haiti. The U.S. knows this, and the dithering of the Bush Administration on Haiti is not helping the situation either. Instead of an unambiguous denuciation of the rebels and Aristide, the U.S. has been holding out for a political solution on the crisis, thus giving hope to the rebels.