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Haitians grab for water being handed out by aid workers - Source: ONE News -
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The Paris Club of creditor nations said it would speed up the process of providing debt relief to Haiti and called on countries outside the group to cancel debt as well.
The Paris Club reached a deal with Haiti last year to cancel the country's entire debt. France said last week its members were now working to speed up the bilateral agreements that must be reached to make sure that accord is actually put in place.
"For those creditors that are still in the process of finalising their agreement, the commitment has been taken to expedite the process," the Paris Club said in a statement.
"Considering the financing needs that Haiti will face in reconstructing the country, Paris Club creditors call upon other bilateral creditors also to urgently provide full debt cancellation to Haiti," it said.
Haitian officials have said the death toll from the magnitude 7 earthquake, which destroyed much of the capital Port-au-Prince on Jan 12, was likely to be between 100,000 and 200,000.
French Economy Minister Christine Lagarde on Friday called on Taiwan and Venezuela, two major creditors of Haiti which are not members of the Paris Club, to help in the debt relief effort. France chairs the Paris Club.
The Paris Club said in July it had decided to cancel $62.73 million of the country's debt. They also committed on a bilateral and voluntary basis to cancel an additional $152 million.
Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Britain and the United States participated in the Paris Club agreement.
