Argentina backs US by ordering 500 troops to Haiti

Reuters ^ | 5/10/04

[areafiftyone]

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, May 10 (Reuters) - Argentine President Nestor Kirchner has authorized sending some 500 soldiers to Haiti as part of a new U.N. peacekeeping mission in an important show of support for Washington.

"There's no doubt that this is very important help for the United States ... For Washington it's important," Defense Minister Jose Pampuro told local radio on Monday.

The United Nations authorized a force of up to 6,700 U.N. soldiers to restore order to chaotic Haiti after President Jean-Bertrand Aristide fled an armed revolt two months ago under pressure from the international community.

Washington wants the U.N. force to take over the task of restoring stability from a multinational force on June 1.

Kirchner, a leftist whose speeches often rail against foreign investors, has annoyed many in Washington since he came to power a year ago by refusing to condemn Cuba over rights abuses and failing to support the U.S.-led attack on Iraq.

The Haiti mission would be Argentina's first deployment of troops to a new overseas operation since Kirschner came to power.

The shift in diplomatic strategy comes as Kirchner looks for Washington's support in tough talks with international creditors over repaying $88 billion in defaulted debt as well as in securing vital aid from the International Monetary Fund.

Argentina's Congress must still approve the troops for Haiti. The legislature effectively blocked the United States from sending soldiers to Argentina on military maneuvers last year.

Kirchner's Peronist party dominates Congress but political analysts say he may have trouble convincing some left-leaning party members to vote for the Haiti mission.

Argentina was one of Washington's closest allies in the 1990s, when then-President Carlos Menem sent soldiers to the first Gulf war.