Bill Clinton, Bush answer Obama call to help Haiti
AFP
WASHINGTON - Former US presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush on Thursday accepted a request from President Barack Obama to raise funds for earthquake victims and relief efforts in Haiti, they said in a statement.
"We are pleased to accept President Obama's request to lead private sector fundraising efforts," the former presidents said in a joint statement.
People wave at a helicopter in the centre of Port-au-Prince
The United States has launched a massive aid operation, including specialists, Coast Guard cutters, helicopters, transport planes and the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier, along with 2,000 Marines deployed.
The USNS Comfort, a floating military hospital and a team of doctors and medical supplies, was also readying to sail from the US East Coast to Haiti.
"Americans have a long history of showing compassion and generosity in the wake of tragedy," the two former presidents said.
"We thank the American people for rallying to help our neighbors in the Caribbean in their hour of suffering - and throughout the journey of rebuilding their nation."
Also Thursday, Clinton and his wife, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, spearheaded a drive to raise money to help earthquake-ravaged Haiti, already drumming up three million dollars for Red Cross relief efforts.
Hillary Clinton, who canceled a trip to Asia to address the humanitarian crisis, made the rounds of six morning television news shows where she urged Americans to make 10-dollar donations by cellular telephone.
Bill Clinton, writing in The Washington Post, said the aid should go to build a better future for the Western Hemisphere's poorest nation including better buildings, schools and health care.
The Clintons have a long-running involvement with Haiti, where they spent their honeymoon.
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