ROW OVER US 'OCCUPATION' OF HAITI

US forces turned back a French aid plane carrying a field hospital from the damaged, congested airport in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince last week, prompting a complaint from French co-operation minister Alain Joyandet. The plane landed safely the following day.

French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner warned governments and aid groups not to squabble as they try to get their aid into Haiti.

"People always want it to be their plane that lands," Mr Kouchner said. "What's important is the fate of the Haitians."

But Mr Joyandet, in Brussels for an EU meeting on Haiti, persisted: "This is about helping Haiti, not about occupying Haiti."

In another weekend incident, 250 Americans were flown to New Jersey's McGuire Air Force Base on three military planes from Haiti.

US forces initially blocked French and Canadian nationals from boarding the planes, but the cordon was lifted after protests from officials from both countries.

The US military controls the Port-au-Prince airport, where only one runway is functioning, and has been effectively running aid operations.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Saturday that the US government had no intention of taking power from Haitian officials, adding: "We are working to back them up, but not to supplant them."

The United Nations is taking the lead in the critical task of co-ordinating aid and Mr Joyandet said he expects a UN decision on how governments should work together in Haiti and he hopes "things will be clarified concerning the role of the United States".