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UPDATE 1-Haiti must do more to deal with crisis - Clinton

by (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2010. Click For Restrictions. http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp | Thomson Reuters Foundation
Monday, 13 December 2010 19:49 GMT

* Clinton says she's frustrated with Haiti government

* Says sending strong signal to Haiti to do more (Adds quotes, background)

By Arshad Mohammed

WAKEFIELD, Quebec, Dec 13 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed frustration with the Haitian government on Monday, saying it needed to do more to help end a violent crisis sparked by disputed presidential elections.

Two of the top three candidates rejected a plan on Saturday to have vote tally sheets rechecked by a new electoral commission amid allegations of irregularities and fraud.

Clinton said Haiti should pay attention to Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy, who called on Washington last week to suspend direct aid to Haiti's government until it ensured a fair and democratic outcome to the elections.

She said that Leahy was expressing a growing frustration in the United States that, a year after the huge earthquake that killed more than 250,000 people, the Haitian government was not responding coherently to the nation's humanitarian, health and economic problems.

"There has to be a greater effort and there has to be a more focused approach toward problem solving. So I think Senator Leahy ... should be heeded by the leaders of Haiti," Clinton told reporters after a meeting with her Canadian and Mexican counterparts.

"This is a strong signal that we expect more and we're looking for more," she said.

Pressure is mounting on outgoing President Rene Preval's government and Haitian electoral authorities to review the contested results of Nov. 28 elections, which have triggered violent protests across the poor Caribbean country.

Clinton said the international community could provide technical support with helping sort out the election.

"We don't want to punish the people of Haiti because of the flaws that were alleged to have occurred in the election. People still need to have their shelter, their education, their clean water, their health, their economic opportunities addressed," she said.

Canadian Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon, who chaired the meeting, said Haiti remained a grave concern.

"It is essential that Haitian political actors fulfill their responsibilities and demonstrate a firm commitment to democratic principles, including respect for the integrity of the electoral process," he said in a statement.

"It is critical that the recounting of ballots be addressed in a timely and transparent manner and that calm be restored to the streets." (Reporting by Arshad Mohammed, writing by David Ljunggren; editing by Rob Wilson)

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.


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