UNITED NATIONS, July 31 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomes Kenya's willingness to lead an international force in the Caribbean nation of Haiti, his deputy spokesman said on Monday.
"The secretary-general welcomes Kenya's positive response to his call for the urgently needed international non-UN security support to Haiti," Farhan Haq, the deputy spokesman, told reporters.
According to reports by Kenyan media, Alfred Mutua, cabinet secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs of Kenya, on Saturday said Kenya has accepted to positively consider leading a multinational force to Haiti.
Mutua also said Kenya's commitment is to deploy a contingent of 1,000 police officers to help train and assist Haitian police to restore normalcy in the country and protect strategic installations.
Guterres values Kenya's consideration to possibly lead a non-UN multinational force, said Haq.
"The secretary-general reiterates his call to the Security Council to support such a non-UN international operation and encourages member states, particularly from the region, to join forces with Kenya," the spokesman added.
