Canada said Thursday it was conducting an assessment mission in Haiti as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Ottawa for talks on establishing an intervention force to deal with the Caribbean nation’s deepening crises.

The Canadian delegation, in consultation with regional partners, the United Nations, the CARICOM-Caribbean grouping, is to explore options “to assist the Haitian people in resolving the humanitarian and security crises” facing the impoverished country and “restore access to essential goods and services”. others, a statement said.

The mission follows calls for international intervention by the Haitian government and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as armed gangs take over much of the country and a cholera outbreak worsens.

The UN Security Council unanimously passed a resolution last week targeting gang leaders, but not a multinational force.

However, prior to Blinken’s arrival in Ottawa, a senior US official expressed hope for progress on international intervention.

“I am very optimistic that the international community and Security Council will agree on another resolution that would create a multinational military force for Haiti,” said Brian Nichols, assistant secretary of state for western hemisphere affairs.

While President Joe Biden’s administration has made it clear that it has no intention of endangering US troops, Nichols dismissed pessimism that no country would step forward.

He said a “number of countries” have the capacity to lead a mission, including Canada, but no decision has been made.

“I have spoken to dozens of partner countries around the world about the situation in Haiti and there is strong support for a multinational force,” he added.

Blinken said before his trip that solving Haiti’s problems would be “difficult, if not impossible” without restoring security.

He reiterated the US focus on building up the Haitian National Police, citing the Oct. 15 delivery of equipment, including armored vehicles, by the US and Canadian militaries.

“We need to break the nexus — a very pernicious nexus — between the gangs and certain political elites who fund them, run them and use them to advance their own interests rather than the interests of the country,” Blinken said at an event hosted by Bloomberg News .

“If we can help resolve this and strengthen the Haitian National Police, then I think the government can take control of security,” he said.

Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said she will speak to Blinken about Haiti and that any action “must take into account the views of Haitians themselves.”

“Ultimately, the goal is to find ways to help Haiti in the most effective way,” she told reporters in Ottawa.

Joly said Canada will work to impose sanctions on gang leaders, consistent with last week’s Security Council resolution that specifically freezes for a year all economic resources related to Jimmy Cherizier, nicknamed “Barbecue,” whose armed groups in Haiti have blocked the main oil terminal.

In a statement, she vowed Canada “will not stand by while gangs and their supporters terrorize the citizens of Haiti.”

Joly said she will also coordinate with Blinken on the war in Ukraine, Iran and China ahead of a series of major Asian summits.

Blinken has spoken to Joly frequently, but his two-day trip is his first to Canada since he became the top US diplomat in January 2021, at the start of Biden’s presidency.

In Ottawa, Blinken will meet Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and tour a community center for Ukrainian refugees.

He will spend Friday in Montreal, Joly’s hometown, where he will visit a lithium recycling factory to highlight supply chain collaboration.