Washington, Jan 18 (DPA) Former US president Bill Clinton plans to visit Haiti’s earthquake devastation Monday to meet with survivors and distribute some aid, his foundation said.
Clinton, who through his foundation has been working closely in attracting foreign investors to Haiti and supporting domestic infrastructure there, is spearheading a fund-raising effort with former president George W. Bush.
Their successor in the White House, Barack Obama, has asked them to take on the efforts as the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince faces up to 200,000 dead from Tuesday’s 7-magnitude quake.
Clinton also plans to meet with Haitian President Rene Preval.
“As UN Special Envoy for Haiti, I feel a deep obligation to the Haitian people to visit the country and meet with President Preval to ensure our response continues to be coordinated and effective,” Clinton said in a statement.
Among the supplies Clinton is accompanying are water, food, medical supplies, solar flash lights, portable radios, and generators.
After the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, Bush asked Clinton to team up with his father, the elder former president George H.W. Bush, to lead a similar effort.
The campaign marks George W. Bush’s emergence on the public scene after leaving office in January under a considerable economic and political cloud. Bush lost political standing during the 2005 Hurricane Katrina, when the US government was slow to help storm victims in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast.
In televised interviews with Bush and Clinton Sunday, reporters asked about how the two men get along. They answered that they had a very good relationship. Clinton also confirmed that Bush had called on his advice during his White House years of 2001-2009.
“My mother calls Clinton my fourth brother,” Bush told CBS news of former first lady Barbara Bush.
