UN chief wants 1,500 more police and 2,000 more troops for Haiti

UN chief wants more police and troops for Haiti

UNITED NATIONS — Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says he wants to beef up the U.N. peacekeeping force in Haiti with 1,500 additional police and 2,000 troops to better respond to the massive earthquake.

Ban says he asked the U.N. Security Council on Monday to raise the ceiling for the force, which currently has about 7,000 troops and 2,100 police. He says the extra troops would be needed for six months.

France’s U.N. Ambassador Gerard Araud says he expects the council to approve a resolution Tuesday raising the ceiling.

Ban told reporters after briefing the council on his trip Sunday to the Haitian capital that two challenges stand out — unclogging bottlenecks to deliver aid quickly and coordination.