Spain offers over $200 mn quake aid to Haiti
By IANSMonday, January 18, 2010
Brussels, Jan 19 (IANS/EFE) Spain Monday announced it would give 141 million euros (about $202 million) in aid to Haiti to undertake reconstruction work following last week’s devastating earthquake in the country.
Spain’s Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos, who was in Brussels for a special European Union (EU) ministerial meeting on Haiti, said his government has already offered Haitian officials six million euros ($8.63 million) in emergency humanitarian aid, Xinhua reported.
“But later, with the various instruments, we are thinking that the total Spanish aid to Haiti, in the medium term, will be 141 million euros,” he said.
He said Spain is also considering sending military engineers to Haiti to “help improve the infrastructure” there.
Moratinos said Spain, which currently holds the EU rotating presidency, would also send personnel as part of EU’s police contingent in Haiti.
Thousands of people were killed after an earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale jolted the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince last Tuesday.
–EFE/Indo-Asian News Service
