UN chief urges nations to consider deploying forces to help Haiti
The National Security Council has urged nations to consider deploying U.S. troops to help stabilize Haiti after Hurricane Matthew hit.
President Barack Obama spoke out against the need for a regional solution on Monday in a statement from the White House to reporters.
“I believe there’s been significant progress in the region on some of the key issues, but the situation in Haiti still remains urgent,” he said. “As we are seeing, in the aftermath of a powerful hurricane, it’s clear that any regional approach is not an acceptable option.”
The statement comes after the White House and the Pentagon both condemned the use of military force in Haiti after the storm. The U.S. called aid a “priority” for the country and the Pentagon called on the Haitian government to deploy “as many military assets as necessary.”
In a statement, the National Security Council called Haiti “a country of strategic importance” and “an example” to the world. It said the government is responding to the needs of its citizens.
“Today, our commitment is to stand with this most vulnerable population in Haiti and our country and to do everything we can to provide assistance and assistance that is commensurate with the challenges that Haitians are facing,” the statement said.
A spokesman for the National Security Council’s senior director for Africa, Mark Toner, said the statement was intended to underscore the importance of the U.S. position for a strong, regional response to Haiti’s needs, not to send a message that U.S. troops could not be dispatched.
“We’ve been committed to a robust regional response to Haiti and we’re happy to be working through the National Security Council with our partners in the National Assembly to ensure Haiti’s recovery,” he said.
Haiti’s president said in a statement that “the government is committed to responding to the needs of its people in the best way possible.”
But it was unclear whether any relief aid would arrive. In a