U.S. to strengthen police arm of peacekeeping

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U.S. to strengthen police arm of peacekeeping

WASHINGTON, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Frustrated by delays in sending civilian police to trouble zones such as Kosovo, the United States said on Thursday it will train a special pool of about 2,000 police who could be deployed quickly to hot spots. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said President Bill Clinton had issued a directive to improve coordination of U.S. efforts in the judicial area of peacekeeping and to help other countries, the United Nations and regional groups in this field.

"This is a job the international community has undertaken with mixed success over the past decade and where we face difficult tests today, especially in former Yugoslavia, East Timor and parts of Africa," Albright told a news conference.

"The recent slowness in deploying desperately needed civilian police to Kosovo provides only the latest evidence that present international capabilities are not adequate," Albright added.

There has been a serious shortage of civilian police in Kosovo making it difficult to keep the peace between the warring sides despite the presence of some 37,000 international troops.

Clinton said in a statement he hoped his directive would improve America's ability to strengthen police and judicial institutions in areas where peacekeeping forces were deployed.

"Developing effective local police forces, establishing credible court and penal systems and reforming legal codes can make the crucial difference between building a just future and lapsing back into conflict," Clinton said.

Assistant Secretary of State Randy Beers said Clinton's directive included a standby pool of police, made up of active or recently retired police who would be specially trained to deal with crisis situations and could be deployed at short notice.

This list would be made available to the United Nations, under whose auspices the civilian police would serve.

Federal law enforcement agents might also become involved, he said, but this had not been completed.

Beers said the size of a proposed standby team was drawn up according to the current level of U.S. police participation in peacekeeping operations worldwide -- amounting to 700-800 police.

"We would look at a size which is double that amount," he said, adding that this number could increase to about 2,000 or even a little more if necessary.

Old models of peacekeeping did not always meet current challenges, Albright said, adding that the process for recruiting, training and deployment of civilian police was not as rapid or consistent as today's circumstances required.

"The international community needs to identify and train units that are able to control crowds, deter vigilante actions, prevent looting and disarm civilian agitators, while at the same time winning the trust of the communities in which they are deployed," she said.

Albright said the government would create an office to handle issues linked to the criminal justice component of peacekeeping operations. "This step recognizes the foreign policy importance of preventing security vacuums from arising in post-conflict situations," she said.

In addition the United States hoped to improve training of foreign police forces during peace operations and to provide emergency training and other help to nations whose legal systems have broken down.

Albright said she hoped the new directive would spur congressional approval for Clinton's request for additional emergency funds for Kosovo and East Timor.

© copyright 2000 Reuters, Ltd.



-- Possible Impact (posim@hotmail.com), February 24, 2000

Answers

""The international community needs to identify and train units
that are able to control crowds, deter vigilante actions, prevent
looting and disarm civilian agitators, while at the same time
winning the trust of the communities in which they are deployed,"
she said.

WOW! What do you think Albright has in mind? (Supreme ruler of Earth?)

-- Possible Impact (posim@hotmail.com), February 24, 2000.

Where do I sign up? LOL

-- David Whitelaw (Dande53484@aol.com), February 24, 2000.

Sounds like the Gestapo is being reincarnated.

-- Lucy (lifeisgoodhere@webtv.net), February 24, 2000.

I just hope those furriners will be careful about reaching for their wallets.....

-- Norm Harrold (nharrold@terragon.com), February 26, 2000.

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