Morocco & Spain Set To Join Haiti UN Mission

Moroccan And Spanish Troops Set To Join UN Mission In Haiti This Weekend

Spanish marines with their own armoured vehicles will join Moroccan troops in forming a United Nations peacekeeping brigade, which will deploy this weekend in northeast Haiti near the Dominican Republic, an area said to be rife with weapons smuggling, the UN mission said today.

The Spanish marines number 200 and the Moroccan troops 150, the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) said, and they will ensure security in Cap Haitien and Ouanaminthe.

Haiti was once a Spanish colony, as well as a French one, MINUSTAH said, noting that "it is the first time in almost 300 years" that Spanish troops have landed in the western part of the island of Hispaniola.

When some Sri Lankan troops arrive tomorrow, MINUSTAH will have 3,692 of the 6,700 troops the Security Council authorized, it said.

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