Sawt Falasteen - Blinken hears of progress against Haiti violence as he pushes election

Blinken, the highest-ranking US official to travel to the battered country in nearly a decade, arrived two months after Kenya sent police officers to launch a long-awaited international force aimed at restoring order.

The top US diplomat zipped in an armored motorcade through crowded, pothole-ridden streets for meetings in the safety of the US ambassador's residence, after arriving at an airport where limited commercial flights only recently resumed.

Meeting Blinken, interim Prime Minister Garry Conille acknowledged that Haiti faced an "extremely complex" situation but voiced hope.

"If our partners bear with us, commit to us, we will achieve the goals. Progress we've achieved so far is actually quite remarkable," he said.

Blinken pointed to initial patrols by the international force and the Haitian police, hailing the "very important steps and real progress."

"Security is the foundation for everything that needs to happen going forward, including getting on a pathway to elections next year, but also delivering services to the Haitian people," Blinken said.

Haiti has not held elections since 2016. In hopes of moving toward a more legitimate government, the United States and Caribbean nations recently worked to establish a transitional council representing key stakeholders, with Conille as interim prime minister.

"The critical next step that we talked about is setting up an electoral council. We hope to see that stood up soon," Blinken told the coordinator of the transitional council.

The coordinator, Edgard Leblanc Fils, said he hoped to move toward the electoral council next week with a goal of elections in November 2025 and a transfer of power in February 2026.

"Progress has been made on security but there remains much to do," Leblanc Fils said.

- Steps toward stability -

Gangs in recent years have taken over some 80 percent of the capital Port-au-Prince as any semblance of government evaporated.

While the country remains deeply mired in violence and poverty, US officials point with hope to a sharp rise in patrols by the international force and the fledgling national police.

President Joe Biden's administration has committed $360 million to the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) in Haiti, including logistical support and equipment, but made clear it will not risk US troops.

Brian Nichols, the top US diplomat for the Western Hemisphere, said that the United States was willing to consider making the mission a formal UN peacekeeping operation if that is a way to bring a reliable source of money and people.

The mission is expected to include some 2,500 police officers including from Bangladesh, Benin and Jamaica.

But its establishment was repeatedly set back both by a court in Kenya questioning the legality of the mission and by struggles to complete financing for the force, which is estimated to cost some $600 million per year.

While blessed by the UN Security Council, the latest intervention in Haiti was deliberately not put under the UN flag after dark memories of earlier efforts.

The United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti, which deployed from 2004 to 2017, was tarnished by accusations of sexual abuse by peacekeepers and the force's accidental introduction of cholera, which killed some 10,000 people.

As Blinken visited, Port-au-Prince was also facing a new energy challenge, with a key power plant going dark after being stormed by demonstrators angered by recurring blackouts.

Blinken will also press Haitian players to take action against corruption, a perennial concern in the country, Nichols said.

The last secretary of state to visit Haiti, John Kerry, met then president Michel Martelly in 2015.

Last month, US authorities slapped sanctions on Martelly for allegedly trafficking drugs destinated for the United States.

N.AbuHussein--SF-PST