UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 29 (UPI) -- The U.N. Security Council has approved a six-month extension for keeping its 8,500-strong peacekeeping force in Haiti.
Before a unanimous vote on the renewal, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan outlined in a report to the panel a deteriorating security situation, with a surge of violence in the impoverished Caribbean country.
However, the extension -- beginning June 1 -- of the U.N. Stabilization Mission in Haiti was a year less than Annan had requested.
The operation was set up in April to help foster a democratic political solution after widespread unrest had led to the departure of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide the previous month.
The secretary-general cited the timeline established for a series of elections, culminating with the transfer of power to an elected president Feb. 7, 2006.
The resolution declared the council's intention to renew the mandate for further periods.
