US changes tack on Haiti peacekeeping push amid China, Russia opposition

“我们绝不是向那些可能并不关心海地人民利益的人屈服，”这位不愿透露姓名的官员说。“我们正在战略性地处理此事，并利用海地总统的发言来推动进程。”

由 15 个成员国组成的安理会将于周一就一项决议草案进行投票，该决议草案将延长多国安全支援 (MSS) 特派团的任期至 2025 年 10 月 2 日。一年前，在该加勒比国家请求援助后，联合国首次批准了该特派团。

外交官们表示，俄罗斯和中国不希望安理会要求制定将联合国支持的安全部队过渡为正式的联合国维和行动的计划，因此美国从路透社看到的决议草案中删除了该措辞。

俄罗斯副驻联合国大使德米特里·波利安斯基周日表示，俄罗斯希望给予安全部队更多时间建立自己的机构，并补充道：“我们不想预先判断国家安全部的结果。现在下结论还为时过早。”

海地领导人上周在联合国大会上警告说，尽管已部署了部分安全部队，但该国的安全状况仍将恶化。

实力强大的犯罪团伙手持主要从美国贩运的武器，在首都结成共同联盟，目前已控制了该市大部分地区，并正在向附近地区扩张。

勒布朗周四对联合国大会表示：“我确信，这一地位的改变，同时认识到过去的错误不能重复，将确保海地任务的全面成功。”

这位美国高级官员表示，华盛顿将“在未来几周内与合作伙伴一起支持这一呼吁。”美国国务卿安东尼·布林肯在本月初访问海地时提出了将安全部队转变为联合国维和行动的问题。

此前的联合国特派团留下了毁灭性的霍乱疫情和性虐待丑闻，许多海地人对联合国的武装存在持谨慎态度。

目前肯尼亚主导的国际安全特派团虽然得到了联合国安理会的授权，但并非联合国行动。各国自愿提供资金和人员。

迄今为止，肯尼亚警察在当地仅有 400 名警官，且资金短缺，因此，该行动在帮助海地恢复秩序方面进展甚微。

联合国秘书长安东尼奥·古特雷斯本月早些时候表示，建立联合国维和部队并不是海地的最佳解决方案，海地面临着大规模流离失所、性暴力和普遍饥饿等人道主义危机。

据联合国估计，帮派暴力已导致海地 70 多万人流离失所。

The United States has dropped a push for the UN Security Council to ask for a plan to transform a security mission helping fight armed gangs in Haiti into a formal UN peacekeeping operation, a move some diplomats said was made to appease Russia and China. 

A senior US administration official, however, pushed back against that assessment, saying Washington changed its strategy to support a call last week by the head of Haiti's transition council, Edgard Leblanc, for a UN peacekeeping mission.

"It is not at all that we are bowing to those who might not have the best interests of the Haitian people at heart," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity. "We are being strategic about how we're going about this and building on the shot of momentum that we heard from the Haitian president." 

The 15-member Security Council will vote on Monday on a draft resolution to extend the mandate for the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission until Oct. 2, 2025. The UN first approved the mission a year ago after the Caribbean country asked for assistance.

Diplomats say Russia and China did not want the council to ask for a plan to transition the UN-backed security force to a formal UN peacekeeping operation, so the US removed that language from the draft resolution, seen by Reuters.

Russia wants to allow more time for the security force to establish itself, Deputy Russian UN Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy said on Sunday, adding: "We don't want to prejudge MSS's outcome. Too early to make conclusions."

'FULL SUCCESS'

Haitian leaders speaking at the United Nations General Assembly last week warned of worsening insecurity in the country despite the partial deployment of the security force.

Powerful gangs, armed with weapons largely trafficked from the United States, have united in the capital under a common alliance and now control most of the city and are expanding to nearby areas.

Leblanc told the UN General Assembly on Thursday: "I am convinced that this change of status, whilst recognizing that the errors of the past cannot be repeated, would guarantee the full success of the mission in Haiti."

The senior US official said Washington would "work with partners over the coming weeks to support that call." US Secretary of State Antony Blinken raised the issue of transforming the security force into a UN peacekeeping operation during a visit to Haiti earlier this month.

Many Haitians are wary of an armed UN presence after previous missions left behind a devastating cholera epidemic and sex abuse scandals.

The current Kenyan-led international security mission, while authorised by the UN Security Council, is not a United Nations operation. Countries voluntarily provide money and personnel.

The mission has made little progress toward helping Haiti restore order with only 400 Kenyan police officers on the ground so far and a shortfall in funding.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said earlier this month that establishing a UN peacekeeping force would not be the best solution for Haiti, which faces a humanitarian crisis with mass displacements, sexual violence and widespread hunger.

Gang violence has displaced more than 700,000 people in Haiti, according to UN estimates.