Issued at Port-au-Prince, Haiti
President René Préval of Haiti and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton of the United States of America met in Port-au-Prince in the wake of the catastrophic earthquake of January 12, 2010 and its tragic aftermath, and issued the following joint communiqué:
Recognizing:
the long history of friendship between the people of Haiti and the people of the United States and their mutual respect for each other’s sovereignty;
the grievous suffering of the people of Haiti, including the massive loss of life, widespread injuries, and extensive damage to public infrastructure and private property;
the urgent need for an immediate response to the requests by the Government of Haiti and the paramount importance of safe, swift and effective implementation of rescue, relief, recovery, and reconstruction efforts;
the current, unprecedented challenges facing the Haitian Government; and
the January 15, 2010 conversation between President Obama and President Préval underscoring the urgency of the needs of Haiti and its people, President Obama’s pledge of the full support of the American people for the Government and people of Haiti in relation to both the immediate recovery effort and the long-term rebuilding effort, and the two Presidents’ commitment to coordinate assistance among the various parties, including the Haitian Government, the United Nations, the United States and the many international partners and organizations on the ground;
President Préval, on behalf of the Government and people of Haiti, welcomes as essential the efforts in Haiti by the Government and people of the United States to support the immediate recovery, stability and long-term rebuilding of Haiti and requests the United States to assist as needed in augmenting security in support of the Government and people of Haiti and the United Nations, international partners and organizations on the ground;
Secretary Clinton, on behalf of the Government and people of the United States, reaffirms the intention of the United States, through its assistance, to stand by the Haitian people in this time of great tragedy; and
President Préval and Secretary Clinton jointly reaffirm that the Governments of Haiti and the United States will continue to cooperate under this shared understanding to promote the most safe and effective rescue, relief, recovery and reconstruction efforts possible.
