"It is foreseen that the present contingent should be reinforced by a company with a strength of 140 men of the Third Foreign Legion infantry regiment stationed with armed forces in Guyana," said armed forces spokesman Colonel Christian Baptiste.

The possibility of the additional deployment was first raised by the commanding officer of the French contingent in Haiti, Colonel Daniel Deplatois, on his arrival at Port-au-Prince on Monday.

"There is an emergency force numbering some 200 currently being despatched to Haiti, and we foresee it being reinforced by a company deployed from Guyana," said Baptiste: "This will bring our personnel in Haiti to about 350."

He said the first French troops to arrive, members of the 33rd marine regiment stationed in the Antilles, had arrived in Port-au-Prince early Monday as part of of "urgent precautionary measures for the safety of French nationals."

The French light military transport ship Champlain carrying army vehicles was en route to Haiti and the naval frigate Ventose, which has a command function, was already manoeuvring off the Haitian coast.

About 80 mobile gendarmes of the French armed forces also left an airbase in southern France Monday for Fort-de-France in the French Caribbean possession Martinique in preparation for eventual deployment in Haiti, the spokesman added.

WAR.WIRE