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Lima Declaration calls for urgent action in Haiti

Other News Materials 17 May 2008 02:19 (UTC +04:00)

The Lima Declaration set to be signed Friday at the European Union-Latin America and the Caribbean (EU-LAC) summit in the Peruvian capital expresses support for the authorities of the troubled Haiti and calls for urgent international action to help the Caribbean nation, particularly as regards food supply, dpa reported.

The draft of the document to be signed by 60 countries stresses "the efforts of the Haitian government and its people to revitalize the institutions of the state and combat poverty, inequality and social injustice."

However, it acknowledges the need for "continuous, urgent and effective action by the international community to support the rehabilitation and the development of Haiti," according to a text obtained by Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

The declaration further expresses support for the UN Mission for the Stabilization of Haiti (MINUSTAH) and the Group of Friends of the Caribbean nation.

The text underlines the importance of the international conference that Argentina and France are set to lead in July in Spain, in order to set up a "programme that gives food security and agricultural development in line with Haiti's own policies and in accordance with the current efforts of the international community."

The issue was mentioned in the declaration based on a proposal from Spain and Brazil, following riots over rising food prices last month in Haiti, in which six people were killed and a further 268 were injured. The prime minister was forced to resign over his handling of the food security situation.

Haiti is the poorest country in the Americas, with 70 per cent of its close to 9 million people living in poverty.

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