Haiti - Reconstruction : For Rafael Correa «the hope is named Haiti»
The President of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, arrived Tuesday noon in Port-au-Prince, accompanied by the Chancellor Ricardo Patiño and the Defense Minister Javier Ponce. At a press conference at the Toussaint Louverture Airport alongside his counterpart, the President Michel Martelly, the Ecuadorian Head of the State declared that it was a pleasure for his country to contribute to the reconstruction of Haiti "Haiti is part of the great motherland, it is our sister, it is a people hit hard but never defeated, that's all. We confirm our affection and our full solidarity. We can not do everything what Haiti needs, but the little that we can collaborate, we want to do it effectively and seriously [...] America, the whole world owes much to Haiti and I think that the hope is named Haiti."
The President Marelly thanked the Ecuadorian Government for its contribution to the reconstruction of Haiti. He particularly welcomed the infrastructure projects undertaken by the Company of Military Engineers of Ecuador in the town of Petite Rivière in the Artibonite [road maintenance, housing (Lambert camps) and schools in reinforced concrete, construction of a bridge of 30 meters over the river Ester, gabion walls in the irrigation canals, drainage etc...] This work, coordinated by Ecuador as part of UNASUR, cost more than $ 13 million, according to the Act of delivery of the works and goods approved by the two Presidents [including donations of equipment: dump trucks, tanker trucks, graders, excavators, loaders...
"...the importance for us today is to see how we can continue working with this contingent and with Ecuador through this cooperation [...] In the case of these projects of solidarity, made by our Ecuadorian brothers, by the President himself, we see the results, and today I will ask President Correa, to study the possibility to continue to accompany us. We are now at an important crossroads. We are fortunate to have to the helm of affairs, a leadership that prioritizes the interests of Haiti, of he Haitian people, I believe that by putting it alongside our partners and friends, who want as well as us, good for our people, the country can only go forward. On behalf of the Haitian people, on behalf of the people of the Artibonite, on behalf of the Republic, M. Mr. President Rafael Correa, I thank you..."
On board of a helicopter, the two men then went in the Artibonite to inaugurate the works achieved by the Ecuadorian military.
