The Brazil-led UN mission in Haiti should be the sole operator there once the earthquake-ravaged nation gets past crisis mode, Brazil's top envoy said in remarks published Wednesday that appeared to rule out a long-term US role.
"Once emergency work is finished, it's best that UN forces are the only ones remaining on the ground," said Foreign Minister Celso Amorim, referring to the United Nations mission in Haiti, or MINUSTAH.
"It would be a mistake to think that the United States are resolving the Haitian crisis," Amorim told Spain's El Pais newspaper.
"The American forces help during an emergency situation, like all the others," he added.
In January, Brazil approved dispatching 900 more troops to Haiti, to supplement the ranks of the 7,000-strong UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti. The new troops add to the 1,200-plus Brazilian soldiers who were already part of the mission.
Only about 13,000 US troops remain in Haiti, compared to the 20,000 or more initially sent after the January 12 quake, which left more than 217,000 people dead.
But a US general, Douglas Fraser, would not specify Saturday how long US soldiers would remain in Haiti, saying it would depend on needs in the impoverished Caribbean nation.
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