FIVE air traffic controllers sent by Australia to assist the emergency effort in Haiti have been stranded in Miami for two weeks after failing to get approval to enter the earthquake-ravaged country.
The controllers from the air force's surveillance and response group left Australia on January 27, 15 days after the earthquake, but arrived too late to enter Haiti with the initial influx of disaster-relief workers.
The Defence Force said yesterday that the controllers had been ''training and liaising'' with US counterparts in Miami while they awaited permission to enter Haiti.
''Immediate emergency aid was required in the initial aftermath of the earthquake, which is why some countries were able to enter Haiti quickly,'' a Defence Force spokesman said. ''Since the emergency phase has concluded, regular diplomatic processes have recommenced, with which participating nations are expected to abide.''
The Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, announced the deployment of the controllers on January 23, as the United Nations said the emergency phase of the relief effort was ending.
Australia has pledged $15 million in aid to Haiti, including $10 million for immediate humanitarian needs such as food, water and sanitation.
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