ARTICLE - BILL CLINTON - SMALL MIRACLES

HAITI ELECTION, TRANSITION 'SMALL MIRACLES': BILL CLINTON
(AFP)

UNITED NATIONS — Haiti's elections and peaceful transfer of power after the devastating January 2010 earthquake are "small miracles," UN envoy Bill Clinton said Wednesday.

Clinton, who is to visit Port-au-Prince on Thursday and meet the next president Michel Martelly, said the new government must ensure transparency to satisfy the international community and the Haitian people.

He also told the UN Security Council that donor countries must give more money to rebuild the impoverished Caribbean nation floundering after a huge earthquake, political turmoil and a cholera epidemic.

"Sometimes we focus so much on the problems that we forget to acknowledge the small miracles," Clinton said of the recent election that will bring popular singer Martelly to power as president next month.

Clinton, who also co-chairs the Haiti reconstruction commission, said progress was being made rebuilding the country where more than 225,000 people died in the quake in January last year.

But the former US president and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the new government must make a priority of transparency in handling the billions of dollars of reconstruction funds and strengthening the rule of law.

"It is important that we do it in a way that strengthens the capacity of the government of Haiti and the confidence of people in the process," Clinton told a special UN debate on Haiti.

He said "transparency" was crucial "so that the donors have real confidence and the people of Haiti can see the houses going up, the Haitians being hired, the Haitian businesses being brought into partnership."

Ban said changing the "deeply dysfunctional" judicial system must be a priority for Martelly.

"The people of Haiti are looking to the next government and parliament to deliver," Ban added, calling for the parliament to show its "commitment to change" by completing changes to the constitution before Martelly is inaugurated next month.

Clinton and Ban said other nations must give more money that was promised at a major UN conference in March last year. About 5.3 billion dollars to be spent over the initial two years was pledged, and Clinton said 3.2 billion had already been earmarked.

"Now that we have had this election and the international community has accepted the results and verified and participated in the oversight of it, I think greater donor disbursements are important," the former US leader said.

Clinton also backed a call by Haiti's President Rene Preval to move the focus of the UN mission in Haiti from a military operation to boosting police duties and strengthening the battle against narco-traffickers.