As we have been reporting, a contingent of 31 BDF soldiers and 20 Coast Guardsmen left for Jamaica on Saturday to participate in training.
They are being trained for deployment in a United Nations-authorized, Kenyan-led, Multinational Security Support mission headed to Haiti.
In a press statement, the Canadian military says that the 4 week training is, quote, "designed to equip participants with advanced skills and knowledge necessary for future deployments, particularly in support of efforts in Haiti, facilitated by the Canadian Armed Forces." End quote.
But, today the Belizean Minister of Defense sounded a lot less sure than the Canadians about that deployment to Haiti. He said the training will benefit the soldiers, but there are still many unanswered questions:
Florencio Marin Jr., Minister of Defense and Border Security
"We have committed to support an international contingent for Haiti. But when I went to cabinet and we got the approval, the support in principle, we in the ministry created a ten point plan that the ten point, sorry, questions that where we need to clear before I am prepared to ask Cabinet, or to tell Cabinet that we can deploy our soldiers."
"Several things we need to know first, before our soldiers, sailors are deployed. And the big the main one, the first part might seem simple to you, but what is the mission that they will be deployed to? We need a clear mission to see exactly what our soldiers and sailors will be doing in Haiti. And until we are satisfied that we have a clear cut one, and others, then, yes, I will go to Cabinet and say, well, the ministry is comfortable as to what the soldiers and sailors, the police and soldiers and sailors will be doing. Will they be protecting personnel? Will they protecting fixed buildings? Will they be patrolling? We in the ministry don't believe that they should be doing any such patrol, engaging directly. There should be more of a security status. But again, we need to have a clear mission before any such deployment will come along."
Jules Vasquez
"A release from the Canadian Armed Forces said that the CARICOM troops are expected to help support the Haitian National Police in their efforts to escort restore security for people in Haiti."
"Is that your understanding of what the mission will be?"
Florencio Marin Jr., Minister of Defense and Border Security
"I don't want you to directly. I mean, yes, there is some connection there, but don't directly think that just because they gone now, that that there is a date pending. We still noh have a clear mission as to what will happen."
"So we are preparing them for that. But, you know, until we are fully, fully sure what exactly is going to happen when they are deployed, then we know we need to have a mission. We need to have a clear chain of command, neither of which we still don't know yet, Jules."
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