Haitian President Rene Preval, on his first international visit since a massive earthquake struck the island nearly two months ago, today met with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Washington. Preval used the occasion to express his deepest appreciation to the U.S. Administration and people for the support provided to Haiti after the earthquake of January 12th.
Noting that U.S. support did not start with the earthquake, Preval stressed that both short-term needs and long-term goals, including good governance, must be encouraged. He opined that efforts must be undertaken to hold elections so as to ensure the stability and legitimacy of the Haitian Government.
Acknowledging that overtime, development in Haiti had concentrated in the capital Port au Prince where the elites live, Preval said that the rebuilding of the country presented a unique opportunity to invest in the other provinces as well.
“This is an opportunity to not only rebuild Port-au-Prince, but first and foremost, to invest and to rebuild in the provinces,” Preval said. “And of course, the recovery of Haiti will take a long time, and everybody must be aware of that. To rebuild Port au Prince as it was before would be a major historical mistake, and that is the message that I am trying to convey not only to the Haitians but also to my international partners.”
Clinton underscored the U.S. commitment to working with the rest of the international community to support elections as soon as appropriate. She noted too, that the administration was listening very carefully to the President and the Haitian people as to what the next steps should be.
Preval will meet with President Obama at the White House on Wednesday, where he is expected again, to express his gratitude for U.S. support following the earthquake.
A major donors conference is planned for New York on March 31st to discuss international support to Haiti over the medium to long-term.
