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VOA Interviews Haiti's PM on Elections, Reconstruction


Haiti Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe
Haiti Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe
Haiti’s Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe rounded out a trip to Washington this week with an interview with Voice of America’s Creole Service, talking about elections and rebuilding the country after the 2010 earthquake.

Prime Minister Lamothe said progress is being made on reconstruction in Haiti. Besides an industrial park that is being backed by the United States and the Inter-American Development Bank, the Haitian government wants to develop another industrial park in the country. “We are building an industrial park, three thousand houses, several kilometers of road, school, and we are building offices for the Ministries of the Interior, Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of commerce,” Lamothe said.

The interview, conducted Tuesday by Creole Service Chief Ronald Cesar, aired on the Service’s evening news radio broadcast and is available on its YouTube channel and website.

On electoral matters Lamothe said, “I am working closely with Parliament to create the council that would organize the elections to fill the remaining one-third vacant seats in the Senate.”

He said he had a productive meeting with the new President of the World Bank, Jim Yong Kim. “We will work with the World Bank on two projects that would shore up an existing program called Education for All, which would help more children go to school. The second project would help more people in Haiti have access to electricity,” said Prime Minister Lamothe.

He called on his fellow countrymen to be united in an effort to move the country forward. “Haiti has a historic opportunity, because for the first time, the whole world wants to help us and wishes us success. We cannot miss this opportunity,” said Mr. Lamothe.

Lamothe had a full itinerary Tuesday, including talks with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and USAID Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah.

Prime Minister Lamothe congratulated VOA on its 70th anniversary.

While he was previously interviewed by VOA in June, Lamothe’s sit-down interview marks the first time he has visited VOA since his swearing-in ceremony in May. He took office after the previous prime minister resigned just months after taking office.

The prime minister’s delegation to Washington D.C. included Minister of Economics and Finance Marie-Carmelle Jean-Marie, Senate President Simon Dieuseul Desras, and Haitian Ambassador to the United States Paul Altidor.
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