U.S. envoy to UN: Keep supporting Haiti

UNITED NATIONS - The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said Thursday that the abrupt return to Haiti of former dictator Jean Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier had complicated an already-cloudy political picture.

Ambassador Susan Rice, in a speech in which she pressed the 15-member Security Council to continue supporting the troubled Caribbean nation, noted that Duvalier's arrival in Haiti comes as the results of presidential elections remain in dispute.

"Given the continuing turmoil surrounding the November 2010 elections the United States is concerned about the unpredictable impact that Duvalier's return may have," Rice said. "The situation on the ground is obviously fluid. But the government of Haiti seems to be taking initial steps to hold Duvalier accountable for his actions during his time ruling Haiti."

Duvalier was arrested Tuesday and interrogated for more than four hours but was released after being charged with corruption and embezzlement.

He succeeded his father, François "Papa Doc" Duvalier, in 1971 and ruled until 1986, when he was ousted during a popular revolt.

Rice was among Security Council ambassadors who spoke Thursday after hearing status reports from Haiti by UN envoys in charge of peacekeeping and humanitarian affairs.

Referring to political uncertainty, Alain Le Roy, UN undersecretary general for peacekeeping operations, warned that "Haiti is at a crossroads."

Both he and Rice urged the Haitian government to honor recommendations of the Organization of American States, including a call for runoff elections and disqualification of President René Préval's preferred successor, Jude Célestin.

UN officials estimate that the earthquake a little more than a year ago killed more than 220,000 people and displaced more than two million, many of whom live in tents in camps with uneven security.