Future Lula government resists new US-proposed mission in Haiti

The future government of President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) is giving signs that it will resist an initiative championed by the United States, a new international mission in Haiti. The theme is being scrutinized with reservations by PT personnel and Brazilian military personnel who were at the head of the stabilization mission in the Caribbean country from 2004 to 2017.

The issue is part of the preparatory material that Lula received from assistants to meet with António Guterres, the UN secretary general, during COP-27 in Egypt this Thursday, 17th. Guterres has been an advocate of the idea of ​​a “multinational power” in Haiti.

The proposal gained traction in October and was made public by the Americans at a UN Security Council meeting. The United States is seeking to combine with its allies the potential mission to be approved by the body under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter on “acts related to peace agreements, breaches of peace and acts of aggression”.

Responsible for leading the military arm of the mission, which has served 13 years in South America’s largest country, Haiti, Brazil is considered an appropriate support for foreign diplomats in discussions on the issue, and Washington’s attention is therefore turned to the future position. Lula government.

“These talks (with other countries) are ongoing. Several countries have expressed interest in learning more about this effort and potentially participating in it,” Ned Price, spokesman for US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, told reporters last Friday. Lula had a meeting with the Joe Biden government’s climate ambassador, John Kerry, the previous day. This was the first high-level meeting the incoming president had with an American official.

The problem may mark the new government’s relationship not only with Washington when he takes office, but also with the Brazilian military, a group of state bureaucracies that remain loyal to the government of Jair Bolsonaro (PL) even during the interrogation of the president. selection process.

Offer

The United States and Mexico said they would submit a resolution proposal to the Security Council to authorize an international peacekeeping force in Haiti, under the terms Guterres advocated. The decision was never presented, in part because no country was willing to take the lead in the process. With Lula’s election, the prospect of closer ties between the United States and Brazil fueled speculation that the country could take on that role.

Brazil has been occupying one of the rotating seats of the Security Council since the beginning of this year and will continue to vote in college until the end of 2023. outside the UN. America’s proposal would face resistance from Russia due to the tense relations between the two countries due to the war in Ukraine.

There is still a fear among PT members that a return to Haiti will serve to strengthen the military politically. Former MP José Genoino told the Opera Mundi website that in the past the PT should advocate the adoption of public policies for Haiti rather than a military solution. The PT’s rationale is that the Haitian experience will strengthen Law and Order Guarantee Operations (GLO) in Brazil, which in turn will lead to federal intervention in public safety in Rio that will aid Bolsonaro’s candidacy in 2018.

officers

The American poll on Brazil’s position is known to Brazilian officials, who pointed to the cost of a mission outside the UN as a problem. A way out may be through the Organization of American States (OAS), but in this case resistance may come from the PT, which criticizes the organization’s position in relation to Bolivia and Venezuela.

“Haiti’s problem is political, not military,” said General Carlos Alberto Santos Cruz. According to him, US$ 10 billion was spent on the 2004 mission of MINUSTAH, and the situation has changed little. The general, who led the operation for two and a half years, said he was aware of America’s stance. “The Americans want another country at the head of the force so that it is not considered an intervention,” he said. According to him, the Lula government should examine the suitability of the case.

Chapter 7 of the UN Charter allows the use of force, which is seen as a problem by countries – and also by Lula’s foreign affairs counterparts – because it could mean the use of armed force against the civilians who make up the group. Hatay gangs. The Americans’ argument is that the issue was brought up by Haitian officials and the UN secretary general seeking international assistance.

“Brazil is still very interested in the issue, but we are waiting for a text to be submitted for review by other members of the Security Council,” said Ronaldo Costa Filho, Brazil’s ambassador to the UN.

Crisis

International concern over Haiti was heightened in September when a gang coalition took control of the Varreux port terminal, which supplies most of the country’s fuel, increasing the humanitarian and economic meltdown there. Ten days ago, Haitian police said they had regained control of the port, causing it to lose its urgency at the UN, although the issue remains on the agenda, according to diplomats from different countries.

When asked if the issue had come up with Lula before, a State Department spokesperson said the United States “will continue to work with partners in the region and around the world to address Haiti’s multifaceted challenges.”

The information is from the newspaper. State of S. Paulo.