WASHINGTON, CMC – United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Tuesday that the Obama administration will heed Haitian President Rene Preval’s call for aid in holding legislative elections in the earthquake devastated country.
“I assured President Preval that the United States would work with the international community to hold elections as soon as appropriate,” Clinton told reporters during a press briefing at the State Department.
She was flanked by President Preval, who is on his first official visit to the US since the massive earthquake on January 12 killed more than 300,000 people and left an estimated one million others homeless.
Haitian officials said it was practically impossible to hold the elections, scheduled for last month, because of the powerful earthquake that had a magnitude of 7.0.
Preval, who is expected to have a private audience with President Obama on Wednesday, said political stability was “fundamental” for the development of the impoverished, French-speaking Caribbean nation.
“This is an opportunity to not only rebuild Port-au- Prince (the capital), but, first and foremost, to invest and to rebuild in the provinces.
“To rebuild Port-au-Prince, as it was before, would be a major historical mistake.And that is the message that I’m trying to convey, not only to the Haitians, but also to my international partners,” he told reporters.
Clinton said that Washington has, to date, given almost US$700 million in emergency quake relief and that almost half of American households have contributed to private aid efforts.
“I want to assure you again that the United States and President Obama and our administration remain committed to you,” she told Preval, adding “we believe in Haiti’s promise and are committed to Haiti’s future”.
As part of the reconstruction effort, the US Secretary of State urged the international community to match the tariff-free status given to Haitian apparel imports to the United States under a 2008 act of Congress.
Last week, the US Senate approved legislation calling for the cancelling of Haiti’s one billion US dollar debt to international organisations, and urged the establishment of a trust fund to reduce poverty.
Preval said an international donors’ conference for Haiti, to be held at the United Nations, on March 31, will present an opportunity not only to re-build but also to “re-found” Haiti as a more politically and economically stable country.
