Ban sorry for world body's role in Haiti

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday apologized for the first time to the people of Haiti for the role played by the world body's peacekeepers in sparking a devastating cholera epidemic in the country.

"On behalf of the United Nations, I want to say very clearly we apologize to the Haitian people," he said three times -- in Haitian Creole, French and English -- to the UN General Assembly.

"We simply did not do enough with regards to the cholera outbreak and its spread in Haiti," Ban said. "We are profoundly sorry for our role."

According to numerous independent experts, cholera was introduced to Haiti by infected Nepalese UN peacekeepers sent to the Caribbean country after the massive 2010 earthquake.

The cholera epidemic has claimed more than 9,000 lives in Haiti, the most impoverished country in the Americas, and infected 800,000 people.

The United Nations reiterated its rejection of claims that it is also legally responsible for the damages from the health emergency.

"We do not change our basic legal position," UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson told reporters.

Ban insisted the UN has "a moral responsibility to act."

"This has cast a shadow upon the relationship between the United Nations and the people of Haiti," he said. "It is a blemish on the reputation of UN peacekeeping."