Military stretched thin, but will help Haiti, says PM

Last Updated Wed, 03 Mar 2004 20:46:12

PETERBOROUGH, ONT. - Prime Minister Paul Martin says while Canada will
participate in the stabilization of Haiti, it does not have the military
capacity he'd like to have.

"We're stretched quite thin and so we're looking at our capacity to go
there and we're looking at the length of time that we think it would
take," said Martin, speaking at a news conference in Peterborough,
Ont. The prime minister says he believes troops will be needed in Haiti for
longer than three months, the tour of duty suggested by U.S. officials.
"My own view is that it will take longer than the Americans have put
out," said Martin. "It's going to be a transition from military,
not straight to civilian, but there's going to have to be a strong police
involvement."

Martin said Canada won't refuse the request to help and will play a role.
"We are going to be able to make an important contribution," said
Martin. Four Canadian Hercules are already in the Dominican Republic, which
shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti. The planes are being used to
evacuate areas of Haiti. An unknown number of Canadian troops are in Haiti,
including elite Joint Task Force 2 troops, helping to guard and evacuate
the Canadian Embassy in Port-au-Prince.

U.S. and French troops are in Haiti as part of a United Nations
peacekeeping force. The number of U.S. marines in the country will reach
400 by the middle of the week. The troops started arriving after Haitian
president Jean-Bertrand Aristide fled the country on Sunday after rebels
surrounded the capital.

Martin said the defence department is assessing the situation and will
decide Canada's contribution.


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