By Lorraine Mendez
Prime Minister Andrew Holness has said Jamaica is participating in efforts by CARICOM and the Organization of American States to assist Haiti.
Speaking Tuesday afternoon in the House of Representatives, Mr. Holness declared that Jamaica is prepared to "support a united international effort in response to the persistent and deteriorating emergency" in the French-speaking nation.
He said the government is also prepared to host bilateral talks and negotiations with Haiti's political leaders and civil society actors, given the long history of friendship between both countries.
The Prime Minister added that Jamaica is willing to participate in a multi-national security assistance deployment to Haiti, to support a return to stability and peace.
He noted that both the Jamaica Defence Force and Jamaica Constabulary Force have been alerted to this possible course of action and have "started to plan for such eventualities as part of their routine situational awareness and response readiness".
Haiti has been grappling with increased gang violence, political instability and a cholera outbreak.
Last week, rebel police officers rioted in the capital Port-au-Prince to protest the killing of more than a dozen of their colleagues by criminal gangs.
Fourteen officers are thought to have died since the start of the year in various gang attacks on police stations.
