UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and former US president Bill Clinton flew today for a one-day visit to Haiti, which is struggling to rebuild from the devastation caused by successive hurricanes last year, according to dpa. Ban was to fly back on Tuesday to Washington to meet with US President Barack Obama. Ban said last week that his and Clinton's presence in the impoverished Caribbean nation would help the government of President Rene Preval to gain international assistance for economic recovery in one of the poorest country in the region. Ban had sought to draw on Clinton's experiences and popularity in helping poor countries. Clinton successfully led the recovery programmes in Indian Ocean nations that suffered heavy damage, both physical and economic, from the December 2004 tsunami. Clinton said Ban believes that the Haitian case is "winnable." Ban will discuss with Preval an action plan to achieve economic security for the Haitians, employment opportunities, reforestation and provisions of basic services, including health care.
