The Haitian government has formally asked the US government to provide security and help in the long-term rebuilding of the earthquake-ruined country, according to a joint communique between the two governments issued Sunday, dpa reported.
The communique followed the meeting on Saturday between Haitian President Rene Preval and US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in Haiti.
It gave formal status to the large presence of the US military and US aid teams in helping Haiti recover from the 7.0-magnitude earthquake on Tuesday that crushed the capital Port-au-Prince and left a possible 200,000 people dead.
The remaining residents of the 1.9-million city have little food, water, electricity or communications, and the US military was moving thousands of troops and aid materials to help with the rescue.
In the statement, Preval welcomed "as essential" the efforts of the US to support "recovery, stability and long-term rebuilding" of the country.
Preval requested the US to "assist as needed in augmenting security" in support not only of the government and the people of Haiti but also of the United Nations, international partners and organization on the ground.
Denis McDonough, deputy national security advisor to US President Barack Obama, told reporters that the agreement is based on a "very good working relationship with all of our partners."
"The bottom line is that .... everything we are doing here is obviously in coordination with our UN partners and obviously in close consultation with the government of Haiti."
Within the first 48 hours after the quake, the US military had re- opened the damaged airport, which it is operating without an air traffic control tower. An estimated 300 aircraft are taking off and landing on a strip that before the quake only saw about three aircraft a day, said Colonel Buck Elton, the commander who oversaw resuscitation of the airport.