New Haitian prime minister named

A US-led multi-national force is patrolling Port-au-Prince

Former Haitian Foreign Minister Gerard Latortue has been appointed by a council of leading Haitians as the country's new interim prime minister.

He will try to stabilise the country and organise elections after Jean-Bertrand Aristide fled last week.

On Monday, Haiti swore in former supreme court chief Boniface Alexandre as interim president of the country.

The political moves follow UN warnings that health and food are the two most immediate priorities in Haiti.

'Rallying citizens'

The BBC's Daniel Lak in Port-au-Prince says Mr Latortue faces a tough task. First and foremost he must restore law and order.

In the past few months, armed rebel groups first rose up against Mr Aristide and then his own militias fought back.

Haitians survey the wreckage

The armed Aristide supporters now say they will revolt against any attempt to erase the legacy of their leader, who is insisting that he was forced from power by the United States and is still the rightful leader of Haiti.

Mr Latortue called for unity in accepting his new post.

"I want to seize the occasion given to me to rally all citizens of the country on the basis of their competence, their honesty and their integrity to participate in the construction of a new Haiti."

Hailing from the northern Haitian city and rebel stronghold of Gonaives, he served as foreign minister under Leslie Manigat, who was ousted in a coup in 1988.

An economist by profession, he has worked for the United Nations and had been living in Florida and working as a business consultant.

UN mission

On Tuesday, the United Nations emergency relief co-ordinator Jan Egeland said that, apart from the lack of resources, the main problems in Haiti are security and lack of access to parts of the country.

The recent turmoil has made life even more precarious for the people of Haiti, who need aid now more than ever Jan Egeland, UN relief co-ordinator

He said the agency was talking to the multi-national force about deploying troops beyond the capital to open up routes for aid, particularly to the north.

"The recent turmoil has made life even more precarious for the people of Haiti, who need aid now more than ever," he said.

Haiti is already the Western hemisphere's poorest country, with many people malnourished and unable to access health care, sanitation or drinking water.

Mr Egeland said the UN's short-term goals needed to be accompanied by longer term economic, political and social measures to invest in the country's future.

A UN mission made up of political, military, police and logistics experts is visiting Haiti on Wednesday in preparation for a peacekeeping force, due to be deployed in three months.

At present a US-led multi-national force patrols Port-au-Prince to try and bring order to a city that is currently without a government.

Also on Tuesday, a US marine spokesperson said soldiers shot and killed the driver of a car speeding towards a US checkpoint in a slum area of the capital.

They said they had few details about the victim; another man in the car was wounded.