WASHINGTON, March 9 (KUNA) -- US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met here Tuesday with President Rene Preval of Haiti, whose country was hit by a destructive earthquake on January 12.
Following the meeting, Clinton told reporters that the US "alone in this first phase" has provided about USD 700 million in assistance to Haiti.
She indicated that the US is preparing for the major donors' conference in New York on March 31st "and we are listening very carefully to President Preval and the voices of the Haitian people as to what our next steps should be." She noted that the Haitian president made a "very important point that we must work together toward elections to ensure the stability and legitimacy of the Haitian government." "I assured President Preval that the United States would work with the international community to hold elections as soon as appropriate," she affirmed.
The US top diplomat stressed the commitment of the US administration to Haiti's future, saying "we believe in Haiti's promise and we are committed to Haiti's future." For his part, Preval told reporters that "we must work together to ensure the conditions that will allow the recovery of Haiti.
"All of these conditions have to be worked upon, not just the immediate short-term needs, but we must also work towards the long term: good governance, all the investments that has to be encouraged," he stressed.
The Haitian President affirmed that recovery will take long and that everybody must be aware of that.
"Political stability is something fundamental for the development of a country. We need a parliament that's operating, that functions that votes laws. You need an executive power. You need a judicial power," Preval remarked.
Up to three million people were affected by the quake in Haiti, where official reports indicated that nearly 230,000 people had been identified as dead, another 300,000 wounded and an estimated one million homeless. (end) si.bs KUNA 092004 Mar 10NNNN¬