Mr Manning Comments at the summit of the Americas: miami herald Jacqueline Charl

piporiko Lun 20 Avr 2009 - 19:52

Mr Manning Comments at the
summit of the Americas: miami herald Jacqueline Charles
By ''It is not our concern how the situation
came about or how it did not come about. The fact of the matter is that
it exists,'' Manning said. ``And none of us could feel comfortable
however rich or however poor we might be; none of us could feel
comfortable that a Haiti is in existence in our own backyard. And
therefore we resolve to do something about it.''
Apr 20, 2009, 09:23

Email this article
Printer friendly page

Mr Manning Comments at the summit of the Americas:

''It is not our concern how the situation came
about or how it did not come about. The fact of the matter is that it
exists,'' Manning said. ``And none of us could feel comfortable however
rich or however poor we might be; none of us could feel comfortable that a
Haiti is in existence in our own backyard. And therefore we resolve to do
something about it.''

Summit leaders vow to help Haiti

Photos BY JACQUELINE CHARLES
jcharles@MiamiHerald.com
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad -- Hemispheric leaders
ended the Fifth Summit of the Americas on Sunday with a call to pay greater
attention to storm-ravaged Haiti and a pledge to make the Caribbean nation
a priority at an upcoming gathering in Honduras.

The decision came after Haitian President René
Préval was asked during a morning retreat to update the other 33 heads of
government on the situation in his impoverished nation following last
summer's storms that left nearly 800 dead and almost $1 billion in damage.

''Haiti today and what exists in Haiti today is a
credit to none of us,'' Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Patrick Manning,
the summit host, said at the closing press conference. ``Not that we are in
the business of apportioning blame, or that that will do any good.

''It is not our concern how the situation came
about or how it did not come about. The fact of the matter is that it
exists,'' Manning said. ``And none of us could feel comfortable however
rich or however poor we might be; none of us could feel comfortable that a
Haiti is in existence in our own backyard. And therefore we resolve to do
something about it.''

Préval did not hear Manning's remarks at the
closing. He left the summit shortly after the retreat to return home, where
107 candidates were vying for 12 seats in the Haitian senate. Elections
appeared to be calm. Observers reported a low voter turnout.

Until recently, Haiti's post-storm troubles had
gone largely unnoticed on the world stage as the United Nations failed to
raise $100 million in emergency aid, and Préval struggled to attract
attention from donors.

The storms blew a $50 million hole in the
country's budget, which was already suffering following a nearly five-month
political impasse created when rising global food and food prices triggered
deadly riots last April.

During Sunday's presentation in Port of Spain,
Préval not only spoke of the ongoing struggle but also about the need to
improve the lives of his citizens by building roads so that jobs can be
created, and Haitians can move easily across the country.

On top of having some of the worst roads in the
Caribbean, Haiti also lost a number of bridges and roads as a result of the
four back-to-back storms.

After the presentation, leaders vowed to take up
the country's plight at the Organization of American States meeting in June
in Honduras. The issue is also likely to come up when President Barack
Obama meets with Caribbean leaders in Washington later this year.

OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza said he
welcomed the focus on Haiti, especially now that the Haitian government has
drafted a plan on how the international community can help.

''Now you know exactly what you have to support,''
he said. ``I think things are really going to begin to happen for Haiti.''

Quoting a famous calypso tune, Haiti I'm sorry,
St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said, ``We
have to go beyond sorrow to address these things.''

Bharrat Jagdeo, president of Guyana and incoming
chair of the 14-member regional Caribbean Community bloc, said he
personally talked about Haiti with President Barack Obama, asking him ``to
please help.''

The focus on Haiti culminated a week of intense
focus on the French and Creole-speaking island-nation beginning with a
donors conference hosted by the Inter-American Development Bank in
Washington. More than 20 nations and international financial institutions
pledged $324 million in foreign aid to help the country.

The United States, which kicked off the pledging
with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, pledged $57 million and announced
plans to examine all foreign aid coming into Haiti to determine where the
money is going.

Clinton then traveled to Haiti en route to the
summit to personally deliver the news of the increased assistance to
Préval. Upon Préval's arrival at the summit, Haiti was again the focus as
he jetted from one meeting to the next with members of the U.S. congressional
delegation that traveled with Obama; Caribbean Community leaders; Canada --
and Obama.

Unable to find the time in a packed day to meet
with Préval, Obama spoke to him during dinner, where he emphasized his
administration's commitment to helping the country.