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[haitiwebs]

UNITED NATIONS, Associated Press Writer - The U.N. Security Council on Tuesday extended the mandate of its peacekeeping mission in Haiti until June 24, giving members more time to settle a dispute with China over how long troops should be stationed there.

Taiwan's ambassador to Haiti argued the disagreement has nothing to do with the peacekeeping mission itself, but with China's anger at Haiti's diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a self-governing island that Beijing considers a renegade province. Chinese officials denied the claim.

"The People's Republic of China has been trying to obstruct relations between Taiwan and Haiti for a long time," Taiwan's ambassador to Haiti, Yang Cheng-ta, told The Associated Press in Haiti.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan had recommended that the mandate for the 7,400 U.N. soldiers and police in Haiti be extended by a year beyond its previous expiration on Wednesday.

But China's deputy U.N. ambassador, Zhang Yishan, said Tuesday that most peacekeeping missions are usually ordered for only six months at a time. He said Haiti should be no different.

While the sides try to resolve the issue, the Security Council voted for what is called a "technical rollover" to keep the mission running.

The vote suggested China and the rest of the Security Council might be close to resolving the dispute. If neither side saw a solution, the other council members would be more likely to force China to cast a politically damaging veto to block help for impoverished Haiti.

For decades, Beijing and Taipei have wrangled over ties with small Caribbean nations, using "dollar diplomacy" to try to win them over. Haiti and Taiwan established diplomatic relations in 1956.

A U.S.-backed interim government and the U.N. peacekeepers took over in Haiti after a rebellion ousted former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in February 2004. Elections have been scheduled for October and November.