International
Haiti: Reconstruction will take Years, according to U.S. Ambassador Merten
- Monday, March 19, 2012 10:41 PM
WASHINGTON, D.C. (defend.ht/HPN) - U.S. Ambassador to Haiti Kenneth Merten said it will take years to realize the reconstruction of Haiti and that Presidents Aristide and Duvalier do not concern the U.S. to the extent they are outside of political affairs.
The U.S. ambassador compared the pace of efforts to rebuild the country to the building of the monument in New York City at Ground Zero in remembrance of September 11, 2001, according to Haiti Press Network.
But according to the diplomat, the complication of the reconstruction is due to problems with infrastructure in Haiti, which was in poor condition before the disaster.
"There are many players in the field who coordinate the work of everyone in Haiti," said Kenneth Merten acknowledges that this is not an easy task, but encourages players to continue push for that reconstruction is effective as soon as possible.
The ambassador said he was proud of "great positive impact" that the U.S. had in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, but he encouraged the Haitian actors to give the country a prime minister to speed up reconstruction.
"We are excited and eager to continue our work, and I encourage all stakeholders to put government back into place as soon as possible," said the diplomat. In addition, Mr. Merten noted that there "no concerns about the presence in Haiti of former Presidents Aristide and Duvalier to the extent they are" apparently outside political affairs."
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