EUROPEAN GOVERNMENTS are moving to intensify efforts to co-ordinate their relief operations in Haiti as EU member states with armed police forces pledge to send hundreds of personnel to boost the UN’s security mission in the disaster-stricken country.
The issue is set to dominate a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday, the first to be chaired by the union’s new foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton.
Also under discussion will be the possibility of imposing new sanctions against Iran over its nuclear programme.
The meeting follows Baroness Ashton’s discussions on the situation in Haiti in the US this week, with secretary of state Hillary Clinton and UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon, engagements at which they took steps towards the development of a joint global operation in Haiti under the UN umbrella.
The ministers will be briefed on Monday by outgoing humanitarian aid commissioner Karel De Gucht, who has been visiting Haiti.
Following appeals for emergency and longer-term assistance from the UN, they will discuss the alignment of their military and civilian relief operations in Haiti.
Crucial to that effort is the deployment of armed police to strengthen the UN “stabilisation mission” in the country.
Although the UN had asked European governments to send about 150 armed policemen to assist in its security operations for a six-month operation, the latest estimates suggest that EU states may be in a position to send almost twice that number. Sources with knowledge of the planned deployments said France and Italy are each talking about sending 100 personnel, the Netherlands may send 50-60 armed police, while Spain may send 20-30.
EU leaders last month mandated foreign ministers to consider US demands to escalate sanctions against Iran if progress was not made before their meeting on Monday.
This question remains before the UN Security Council, where China and Russia have argued for patience.
Although the ministers do not plan to adopt conclusions on Iran, diplomats said that they will discuss the extension of banking restrictions against Iranian interests and the extension of restrictions against individuals in the Tehran administration.
Ahead of an international conference on Afghanistan next Thursday, the ministers are expected to call for a strengthening of efforts to weed out corruption, while supporting moves to hand greater security responsibilities to the government of president Hamid Karzai.
Following a failed attempt to blow up an aircraft travelling between Amsterdam and Detroit on Christmas Day, they will also pledge support for the efforts of the Yemeni government to root out Islamic militants.