Haiti: slander campaign against UN mission

Annan condemns slander campaign against UN mission, senior envoy in Haiti

Secretary-General Kofi Annan has registered his opposition to a campaign of defamation against the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) as well as his senior envoy to the country.

In a letter to Prime Minister Gérard Latortue, Mr. Annan rejects the slander in recent weeks as “unacceptable.”

Excerpts from the letter, dated 13 January, were released by today MINUSTAH, which quoted Mr. Annan voicing full support for his Special Representative in Haiti, Juan Gabriel Valdés.

The Secretary-General also urges the Prime Minister to publicly condemn the campaign to discredit the envoy and the mission, warning that it could threaten the security of MINUSTAH as well as the holding of free and fair elections.

All concerned must work together in a sprit of mutual respect and close collaboration, he says.

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