| | |  Americas & Beyond 
Morales Deplores US 'Occupation' of Haiti
 Carlos Valdez - Associated Press
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January 21, 2010
| | Bolivian re-elect President Evo Morales, accompanied by indigenous leaders, holds the staff of command during an Aymara indigenous ceremony at the ancient Kalasasaya Palace at Tiwanaku, January 21, 2010. President Morales will be sworn-in for a second term on Jan. 22 in La Paz. (Reuters/Mariana Bazo) | |
La Paz, Bolivia — President Evo Morales said Wednesday that Bolivia would seek U.N. condemnation of what he called the U.S. military occupation of earthquake-stricken Haiti.
"The United States cannot use a natural disaster to militarily occupy Haiti," he told reporters at the presidential palace.
"Haiti doesn't need more blood," Morales added, implying that the militarized U.S. humanitarian mission could lead to bloodshed.
His criticism echoed that of fellow leftist, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who said Sunday that "it appears the gringos are militarily occupying Haiti."
Washington has dispatched some 11,500 troops to the poor Caribbean nation since the Jan. 12 quake and says the number could reach 16,000 by the weekend.
It says their primary mission is to speed distribution of aid, in part by providing security at distribution points and escorting aid convoys.
When asked Wednesday about the possibility of the U.N. General Assembly condemning the U.S., assembly spokesman Jean Viktor Nkolo pointed to previous U.N. statements expressing gratitude for U.S. help in Haiti.
The United Nations will soon sign an agreement with the U.S. stipulating the U.N. as the lead organization for security in Haiti, Edmond Mulet, acting U.N. special envoy to Haiti, said Tuesday.
The U.N. also resolved to add 3,500 international military and police peacekeepers to the 8,100-strong contingent already in Haiti, which includes Bolivians.
Associated Press Writer Edith Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report.
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