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Sarkozy Calls For International Donors Conference to Help Haiti

   French  President  Nicolas  Sarkozy  is  calling  for an international
   donors   conference  to  help  Haiti  rebuild  from  the  catastrophic
   earthquake that hit the impoverished island on Tuesday.

   Lisa Bryant 15 January 2010
   French President Nicolas Sarkozy, 14 Jan 2010

Photo: AP

   French President Nicolas Sarkozy, 14 Jan 2010

   President  Sarkozy  said he would call his US counterpart Barack Obama
   to push for an international donors' conference to help Haiti get back
   on its feet.
   Mr.  Sarkozy  said  the  devastating  earthquake  that  has  killed an
   estimated tens of thousands of people and turned buildings into rubble
   was  only the latest disaster to strike the poor Caribbean country. He
   said  it  was  time to end what he called Haiti's 'curse' once and for
   all.
   Aid  from  all  over  the world is heading to Haiti, but it is slow to
   reach  the  needy.  Experts are working to rescue those trapped in the
   rubble  -  and  to  pull  out  the  dead.  The International Red Cross
   estimates  that  about  one-third  of  Haiti's population - some three
   million people - may need emergency relief.
   France has historic ties to Haiti. It was among the first countries to
   send  aid  to  the  small island. So far, Paris has dispatched several
   planes  loaded  with  emergency teams and relief supplies, and will be
   sending  two  military ships and a water treatment center shortly. The
   international  community  has  also  pledged  hundreds  of millions of
   dollars in aid to Haiti.
   But  Mr. Sarkozy suggested more was needed. He said the United States,
   Brazil,  Canada  and  European countries should take the initiative in
   pushing  for  a  donors' conference. He also said he would be visiting
   Haiti in the coming weeks.

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