Wyclef Jean asks Haitians to give up crime (Reuters)

PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - In a radio ad sponsored by theU.N. peacekeeping mission in Haiti, Grammy Award-winningmusician Wyclef Jean is asking his fellow citizens to give upcrime and work to improve the country.

"If you love Wyclef, that means you love Haiti. So youshould not be raping women, kidnapping people and children,because there can be no excuse for doing so," Jean said inCreole in a short ad run several times a day by local stationsin Haiti.

"I reject these evil practices," said the 35-year-old Jean,who also urged Haitian men to respect and protect women'srights.

Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas has battleddecades of political upheaval, dictatorship, military rule andviolence.

Haitian police and U.N. authorities have noted a rise incrime over the past several weeks and are trying to counter awave of kidnappings and crimes perpetrated by gangs in thecapital and some provincial areas.

Official figures show 36 people were kidnapped for ransomin Port-au-Prince during March, and about 30 in February. Thenumber had dropped to fewer than 20 a month.

Fred Blaise, a spokesman for the U.N. police, said Jean'spopularity among Haitians from across the social spectrum maypositively influence youngsters involved in crime, and couldmotivate others to stay out of trouble.

"All kinds of Haitians, the good guys as well as the badguys, have a lot of appreciation for Wyclef for what herepresents as a Haitian," Blaise told Reuters on Sunday.

"So they would be more likely to be receptive to Wyclef'smessage because they are all proud of him," he said.

Jean, who first gained fame as a member of theGrammy-winning hip-hop trio The Fugees, enjoys enormous respectin Haiti. Last year, he was appointed by Haitian President RenePreval to serve as a roving ambassador to improve the nation'simage abroad.

Reuters/Nielsen