Parliament OKs dispatch of 250 peacekeeping forces to Haiti

SEOUL, Feb. 9 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean parliament on Tuesday approved a
government plan to send up to 250 troops to Haiti as part of a U.N. peacekeeping
mission there, the foreign ministry said.

The approval came 20 days after the United Nations made a "flash appeal" for
additional troops and police forces to help out its stabilization mission in
Haiti, also called MINUSTAH.
The Caribbean nation was hit on Jan. 12 by a 7.0-magnitude earthquake and a
series of powerful aftershocks that reportedly left over 200,000 people dead and
destroyed homes and government buildings, including the presidential palace.
"The unit to be dispatched to Haiti will consist of some 240 troops, mostly
engineers, medical personnel and servicemembers to ensure the unit's own safety,
and will be tasked with the repair and rehabilitation of the city of Leogane, as
well as humanitarian missions there," the ministry said in a press release.
The city is located some 40 kilometers west of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and
is said to have suffered damage nearly as serious as in the capital city,
according to ministry officials.
The government began preparations for the dispatch before the National Assembly
began deliberating the plan to be able to swiftly provide the assistance needed
in Haiti.
Ministry officials earlier said the government may send an advance team to Haiti
only few days after the parliament's approval of the plan and the rest of the
contingent within a week.
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)

Delete & Prev | Delete & Next