Bush and Clinton's shock as they tour quake-devastated Haiti two months on

By Mail Foreign Service
Last updated at 10:43 AM on 24th March 2010


They are two men who have seen a lot - but even former U.S. Presidents Bush and Clinton were shocked at the devastation of Haiti two months after an earthquake all but destroyed the island.

'It's one thing to see it on TV, it's another to see it firsthand,' Mr Bush said, clearly taken aback on his first trip to the country.

'Hopefully our visit will remind people that Haiti needs help.



Rebuilding: Former U.S. President George Bush poses with workers at the Maxima S.A. factory in Haiti, which is building pre-fabricated homes for those displaced by the January 12 earthquake




Devastation: Children play in the remains of Port-au-Prince on Monday

The pair - tapped by President Barack Obama to spearhead U.S. fundraising for the crisis - clasped hands with residents as they toured one of the new massive tent cities that have sprund up around the capital since the January 12 quake.

They gave a news conference in the grounds of the collapsed presidential palace, and later spoke to survivors who are still camping on Port-au-Prince's national mall, the Champ de Mars.

More than 60,000 people are living there, made homeless when their houses crashed down around them in the quake.


Armageddon: Garbage burns in the background, providing the only streetlights as Haitians walk the avenues of Port-au-Prince




Still smiling: Despite the hardship and horror, Haitian children are happy playing with a battered old suitcase in one of the camps set up to house the 1.3million survivors who are now homeless

Secret Service agents and Haitian police surrounded the men as they waded into a fenced-in section of the mall where dozens of families have pitched blue, orange and silver tarps.

While many of the homeless welcomed the visit as a sign that the U.S. would continue to supply aid, some said they were disappointed the presidents did not bring anything more tangible.

'The visit is like no visit at all. They walked inside, it's to show off,' said Rene Pierre, a 35-year-old homeless man.

About 100 supporters of ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide staged a protest outside the national palace, burning tires and demanding the return of their exiled leader.

Mr Clinton and Mr Bush visit as the country struggles to feed and shelter victims of the magnitude-7 quake, which killed an estimated 230,000 people.



Project: Former U.S. President Bill Clinton and President Bush speak with U.S. commander Ken Keen at the Maxima S.A. factory on Monday



Regeneration: The presidents laugh with the owners of the Caribbean Crafts factory in Port-au-Prince

Another 1.3 million quake survivors are homeless, with many living in camps prone to dangerous flooding in the April rainy season.

The former presidents also visited the Maxima SA woodworking plant where manager Evelien Degier, a native of the Netherlands, said they can build houses for $2,000.

She said she hopes the presidents help direct investment to companies like hers that employ Haitians as part of the reconstruction effort.

'It's wonderful to have the handouts and the food,' she said. 'But now people need to go back to work to real life to earn real money.'

The chairman of Haiti's chamber of commerce, Reginald Boulos, said Monday that Mr Clinton and Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive will co-chair a task force overseeing the large amounts of international aid expected to pour in next month.


Burning: More garbage is incinerated on the streets of Port-au-Prince as the country begs for help to get back on its feet



Your future: A father gestures to his young son as they take in the shocking view of the tent camps in Port-au-Prince during the presidential visit

Mr Clinton said he had not been formally offered the position but was open to helping in any way.

The Haitian government is asking for $11.5 billion over the next three years, including more than $3 billion as soon as possible.

Mr Clinton, who has been the U.N. special envoy to Haiti since last year, said the former presidents hoped to get all the aid agencies and the Haitian government working together to make the most of the huge global outpouring of support.

'The most important thing in the short run is to coordinate what the NGOs do with the long-term plans that the Haitian government has. They can't be a self-sufficient country unless we both are transparent in this aid and build the capacity of the government,' he said.

The visit aims largely to spotlight the dramatic need ahead of a critical March 31 U.N. donors conference in New York, where Haitian officials will ask for $11.5 billion in reconstruction help.


The looting goes on: A man runs from the remains of a building after stealing food from inside

Aid was already being announced on Monday.

The Inter-American Development Bank announced it had agreed to forgive its $479 million share of Haiti's $1.2 billion in foreign debt while offering $2 billion in new financing over the next 10 years. And the European Union said it will donate Euro1 billion ($1.36 billion) in development aid to Haiti in the years ahead.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has also announced he would cancel Haiti's debt to his country, which the IMF had listed at more than $200 million.
The nonprofit Clinton Bush Haiti Fund has raised $37 million from 220,000 individuals including Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio, who gave $1 million, and Mr Obama, who among other donations gave $200,000 of his Nobel Peace Prize.

About $4 million has gone to such organizations as Habitat for Humanity, the University of Miami/Project Medishare mobile hospital in Port-au-Prince and the U.S. branch of the Irish charity Concern Worldwide. The rest has yet to be allocated.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1260227/Haiti-earthquake-George-Bush-Bill-Clinton-tour-island-months-on.html#ixzz0j86FrYys

Nèg yo fè kom si yo pa wè jès la.

Ya p voye de magouyè sayo monte. Nenpot bagay akseptab pou Ayiyti depi se pa lidè Ayisyen.

Bush pa t dwe menm mete pye l an Ayiti.

Li finn bay ayisyen lanmen epi li siye men l sou Klinnton.

Gen ti nèg ki pa tap menm ale nan zonn sa, ke dire lonje men yo bay pèp. Yo osi magouyè si non plis ke Bush.

Malpwopte ki rele BUSH lan ,mwen pa vle wè sa vre.
Se pa bon CLINTON pi bon ke sa non,men li ize "ipokrizi" pi byen.Omwens li se rat mOde soufle

2 mesye sa yo kOz twOp san ayisyen koule!

Mwen konnen ou ta p vinn la.

Se pou ou menm remak lan ye.
Ma p repete l pou ou ak neg parey ou yo:

Nenpòt bagay akseptab pou Ayiti depi se pa lidè Ayisyen.

Nounenm koudetayis ,nou pa lan konpleksite.Paske CLINTON te retounen ARISTIDE se pou yo di l mèsi.
Clinton te fè ARISTIDE tounen ,mete sa lan menm katab ak REAGAN ki te mete anbago sou AFRIK di SID.
Se pa vle yo te vle fè l,se fOse yo te fOse yo fè l.
Ka AYITI an se yon pwa senkant li te ye sou do CLINTON an 1993.Se pa t yon bagay difisil pou li politikman ,paske se baz pati Demokrat ki t ap reklame retou an.
Men bagay CLINTON fè sè ke gen anpil bagay ki endike ke se limenm ki te pèmèt Oganizasyon FRAPH lan pou mete presyon sou ARISTIDE.