Ja: Jamaican troops for Haiti ... in time

THE GOVERNMENT remains committed to sending peacekeeping troops into poverty-stricken Haiti, but is still working out the details, the Senate was advised yesterday.

Senator Delano Franklyn, State Minister in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, told the weekly Senate sitting that Government could not rule out sending forces to the country, which has been wracked by violence over the past several months.

"But there is a particular procedure to be followed. I would wish to give this House an assurance that all of these things are being taken into consideration with the understanding that time is of the essence," he said.

This is contrast to the position of the Opposition.

Opposition Senator Bruce Golding, who had risen on the motion for adjournment to address the escalating crisis in Haiti ... had argued that the restoration of order in Haiti was beyond the capacity of CARICOM governments.

"We don't have the forces within CARICOM to go and maintain security in that kind of country," he said while pointing out that Haiti has a population of over seven million.