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US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton - Source: Reuters -
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Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has assured Haiti's
quake-ravaged people the United States will work with their
government to ensure the country emerges "stronger and better"
after this week's disaster.
"We will be here today, tomorrow and for the time ahead," Clinton
told a news conference at Port-au-Prince airport, saying she wanted
to speak directly to the Haitian people after a meeting with
Haitian President Rene Preval.
"You have been severely tested. But I believe that Haiti can come
back even stronger and better in the future," she said.
Preval expressed gratitude for the huge relief effort that has
unfolded after Tuesday's earthquake, which killed tens of thousands
of people and devastated Haiti's ramshackle capital.
"Mrs Clinton's visit really warms our heart today," Preval said
through an interpreter, adding that it would help to establish the
priorities and coordination necessary to keep the relief work
running.
Clinton underscored that the US aid drive - involving thousands of
soldiers, sailors and Marines along with civilian aid workers - was
at the invitation of Haiti's government and said she and Preval
would issue a joint communique on Sunday outlining the way
forward.
As the sound of aircraft bearing relief supplies momentarily
drowned out the microphone, Clinton was upbeat.
"That's a good sound," Clinton said. "That means good things are
coming and helping the people of Haiti," she said.
One-day trip
Clinton's quick one-day trip was designed to avoid complicating the
relief effort, with hundreds of thousands of Haitians still
desperately waiting for assistance as scavengers and looters take
advantage of the widespread absence of authority and order.
Clinton first flew to the Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen in
Puerto Rico, where she transferred to a Coast Guard C-130 transport
plane carrying emergency food and water rations along with
toothbrushes, doughnuts, underwear and other supplies for US
embassy personnel.
She left aboard another huge relief plane with 50 US evacuees
aboard headed for Kingston, Jamaica. Twenty-two of the Americans
were due to continue on with Clinton to the Washington area.
Clinton said the relief drive was aimed at immediate needs such as
water, food and medical help along with rescue work for people
still trapped in the rubble.
She said she and Preval also discussed the future, which US
officials say could involve a major international effort to improve
conditions in Haiti, which remains the poorest country in the
Western hemisphere.
Before her arrival, Clinton told reporters traveling with her that
the Haitian government, itself battling to recover from the quake,
had given the US government leeway to meet emergency needs.
But she said that could be further expedited if the Haitian
parliament passed a decree granting Preval's government more
emergency powers - some of which could be delegated to the United
States - such as imposing a curfew.
She said the United States would continue to work with both the
Haitian government and the United Nations, which has about 7,000
peacekeepers on the island and primary responsibility for
security.
"We are working to back them up, but not to supplant them," she
said.
The United Nations announced on Saturday that the chief of its
mission in Haiti had also perished in the earthquake, along with
his deputy.
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