UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 28 (UPI) -- U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has issued a plea to the leaders and people of Haiti to stop violence and return to the rule of law.
Violence in the Caribbean nation worsened through the week and was reporting welling in the capital of Port-au-Prince at the week's end.
"The secretary-general is increasingly concerned at the alarming deterioration of the security and human rights situation in Haiti," said Annan's chief spokesman late Friday.
"He calls upon all Haitians to eschew violence and settle their differences through peaceful means," said the spokesman, Fred Eckhard. "At this critical time, he reminds their leaders of their responsibilities towards their fellow countrymen and their obligations under international human rights and humanitarian law."
Thursday the U.N. Security Council called for a political solution to the crisis, saying it wanted an agreement before allowing an international civilian police force to Haiti. It also was hoped the move would allow time for a diplomatic initiative by France to work.
