28427: (news) Chamberlain: Donors eye more aid for Haiti's new government

[corbetre@webster.edu]

From: Greg Chamberlain <GregChamberlain@compuserve.com>

     By Raymond Colitt

     BRASILIA, Brazil, May 23 (Reuters) - More aid is critical to help
Haiti's new government consolidate democracy and foster growth and the
international community needs to make that commitment to the poor Caribbean
country, donors said on Tuesday.
      Several donor countries at an international conference in Brazil's
capital backed a proposal for a July donor conference in Haiti to raise new
funds.
     "I think donors in general are ready to help more, although it is not
clear how much money they will put on the table," said Prot von Kunow,
German delegate to the conference.
     Rene Preval took office on May 14 as Haiti's first elected ruler since
former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was ousted in an armed revolt in
February 2004.
     The international community needed to make long-term commitments to
Haiti's fragile infrastructure and public security, said Jose Miguel
Insulza, secretary-general of the Organization of American States.
      "If President Rene Preval faces energy shortages and overdue
salaries, he will have political difficulties," said Juan Gabriel Valdes,
U.N. representative to Haiti.
     The World Bank last week also called on donors, which include the
United States, Japan, and France, to swiftly provide more financial aid to
Haiti.
     Ninety percent of the $1.1 billion that was pledged by international
donors in a July 2004 conference in Washington had already been spent,
according to Brazil's foreign ministry.
     A United Nations peacekeeping force, led by Brazil, has helped check
rampant violence in Haiti following Aristide's fall and allowed
presidential elections in February this year.
     Brazil has pledged to keep its troops there until Haiti established
its own, working police force, which could take several years, Brazilian
diplomats say.

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