Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she will travel to Haiti on Saturday to meet with President Rene Preval, deliver supplies and report back on the disaster relief efforts.
“We will also be conveying very directly and personally to the Haitian people our long-term, unwavering support, solidarity and sympathies to reinforce President Obama’s message that they are not facing this crisis alone,” said Clinton, who will be traveling with USAID administrator Rajiv Shah.
Since the 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck the island, Clinton has been the Obama administration’s point person on coordinating international aid. On Friday she phoned Dominican Republic President Fernandez and Brazilian Foreign Minister Amorin.
“I’ve spoken to a number of foreign ministers and heads of state who are asking questions about how things are operating and what they can do to contribute,” she told reporters. “[The trip] just gives you a level of credibility in this implementation phase that we’re finding ourselves in.”
On her return, Clinton will bring back some American citizens who have been waiting evacuation. The State Department expected to have evacuated about 1,000 American citizens by the end of Friday.
Full story: Hillary meets with Haitian president