Former U.S. President Clinton Visits Haiti

Clinton talked about his new expanded role and said that he plans to help the country with its long term priorities.

Video/Photo courtesy: UN/MINUSTAH

(PORT-AU-PRINCE/SALEM) - United Nations Special Envoy, former U.S. President Bill Clinton arrived in Haiti Friday for the first time since assuming his expanded role in coordinating international quake relief, from emergency response to reconstruction to launching a new funding appeal. In Port-au-prince, he met with UN staff and was briefed about the current situation on the ground.

He also met with President René Préval and Haitian cabinet ministers to discuss long-term recovery. Several thousand tents are expected in the coming days as well as more funding for the UN Development Program’s (UNDP) cash-for-work program.

Following his meeting, Clinton held a press conference with Préval. Préval told the press that he is happy to have Clinton in Haiti and that the situation in the country “is not easy.”

Clinton talked about his new expanded role and said that he plans to help the country with its long term priorities with hopes that “Haiti will be a country with its own economy.”

Later in the day, Clinton visited Port-au-Prince's Gheskio medical clinic where his foundation said he would deliver water, food, medical supplies, solar flashlights, portable radios, and generators.

Clinton said that the clinic needs all the support that it can get to help Haitians.

The Gheskio clinic, which has been supplying treatment and medical care for Haitians with AIDS and tuberculosis, is now also providing emergency care for the thousands of trauma victims in the country.

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Tim King is a former U.S. Marine with twenty years of experience on the west coast as a television news producer, photojournalist, reporter and assignment editor. In addition to his role as a war correspondent, this Los Angeles native serves as Salem-News.com's Executive News Editor. Tim spent the winter of 2006/07 covering the war in Afghanistan, and he was in Iraq over the summer of 2008, reporting from the war while embedded with both the U.S. Army and the Marines. Tim holds numerous awards for reporting, photography, writing and editing, including the Oregon AP Award for Spot News Photographer of the Year (2004), first place Electronic Media Award in Spot News, Las Vegas, (1998), Oregon AP Cooperation Award (1991); and several others including the 2005 Red Cross Good Neighborhood Award for reporting. Serving the community in very real terms, Salem-News.com is the nation's only truly independent high traffic news Website. You can send Tim an email at this address: newsroom@salem-news.com