Frictions between nations rise over struggle of getting aid to Haiti

[Turborama]

Source: Washington Post

Food and water trickled to the stricken people of Haiti on Saturday, as a global aid operation struggled with frictions and confusion over who was in charge to bring relief to this crumbled, earthquake-ravaged city.

Four days after the 7.0-magnitude quake brought much of Port-au-Prince down on its residents Tuesday, a few signs of national survival flickered, even as some Haitians began an exodus out of the devastated capital and into the countryside.

But there were growing tensions over which country's planes were allowed to land here first, with each nation insisting its aid flight was a priority, according to an official involved in the relief operation.

France, Brazil and Italy were said to be upset, and the Red Cross said one of its planes was diverted to Santo Domingo, the capital of neighboring Dominican Republic.

The French government became so annoyed when a plane with an emergency field hospital was turned back Friday that foreign minister Bernard Kouchner lodged a protest with the State Department, according to the French ambassador to Haiti, Didier Le Bret.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/16/AR2010011602921.html

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Who will lead Haiti's security?
By Gabriel Elizondo

January 17th, 2010

There appear to be some rising tensions between countries leading the relief efforts in Haiti. We know the US is sending in upwards of 10,000 troops to the country. But since 2004, Brazil’s military has been the commanding force leading the Haiti UN peacekeeping mission, technically referred to as MINUSTAH. Brazil has about 1,700 soldiers in Haiti and commands about another 5,300 UN forces in Haiti.

Nelson Jobim, Brazil’s defence minister just came back from Haiti and made a point of that saying Brazil would not voluntarily relinquish any of its command duties. Essentially, what he was saying was that Brazil, not the Pentagon, would continue to lead the UN forces.

When pressed, Jobim also admitted that the US military doesn’t take orders from foreign forces.

So who will answer to whom in Haiti?

Read more: http://blogs.aljazeera.net/americas/2010/01/16/who-will-lead-haitis-security

Report on the tensions between Brazil and the US at the end of this news bulletin: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dq5XmZzYYmE

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