The UN Security Council extended on Tuesday the mandate of the UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti for six months.

The current mandate of the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) expires on Tuesday.

Unanimously adopting resolution, the 15-member council decided that MINUSTAH would consist of a military component of up to 7,200 troops of all ranks and of a police component of up to 1,951 officers.

The council also urged Haitian authorities to complete run-off elections -- in places where the electoral process was disrupted or appeals were upheld -- as soon as feasible, and called on the mission to provide all appropriate assistance.

In a report to the council, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan had recommended that the council extend the mission for at least 12 months, saying that one year would be the minimum time needed to establish a solid basis for rule-of-law reform and achieve some initial results and progress towards democratic governance.

A resolution adopted by the council in April, 2004, authorized the establishment of the UN mission in Haiti to support an interim government after President Jean-Bertrand Aristide fled into exile.

(Xinhua News Agency August 16, 2006 )