France's Sarkozy Offers Aid Package for Haiti
VOA News 17 February 2010
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has proposed an aid package to Haiti worth about $447 million over the next two years to help rebuild the earthquake-ravaged country.
During a news conference Wednesday in Haiti's capital, Port-Au-Prince, President Sarkozy said the package includes the cancellation of about $77 million in debt.
The French leader arrived in Haiti earlier Wednesday. It is the first visit by a French president to the former colony, which defeated France in a slave revolt and declared independence more than two centuries ago.
Haitian President Rene Preval greeted Mr. Sarkozy at the airport. In his welcoming remarks, the French president said that, ultimately it will be up to Haiti to take control of its rebuilding and development.
France has sent planeloads of emergency aid and rescue teams to Haiti following the January 12 catastrophic quake, which killed at least 217,000 people and left about one million others homeless.
Haiti is the Western Hemisphere's poorest country. Even before the quake, the government was struggling to recover from tropical storms that wiped out 15 percent of its economic output in 2008.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.
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