UN's Ban backs reduction in Haiti force

PARIS: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Friday that he would like to see the start of a gradual reduction in the size of the MINUSTAH peacekeeping force in Haiti.

In a pre-recorded interview due to be broadcast by RFI radio and TV5 Monde on Sunday, Ban also apologised for a recent sexual assault carried out by UN peacekeepers, branding it "totally unacceptable".

Frustration at MINUSTAH's performance has been mounting in Haiti, added to public anger over the rape case and reports linking a deadly cholera outbreak to raw sewage leaking from a UN base.

"I think it is an appropriate time for us to do a gradual draw down of MINUSTAH, so that this role can be handled by Haitian people," he said, while adding that this would be discussed with the Haitian government.

Ban praised the "important role" played by MINUSTAH since 2004, when it was deployed to disarm militias that sprang up when the army was disbanded, but added: "I can also understand the frustrations of the Haitian people."

The MINUSTAH (United Nations Stabilization Force in Haiti) mandate expires on October 15, at which point the UN Security Council will take up its future.

It currently comprises 8,700 soldiers and 3,500 police.

Four Uruguayan peacekeepers have been accused of sexually assaulting an 18-year-old man in the small coastal town of Port-Salut. (AFP)