General

France cancels Haiti’s debt

Sarkozy pledges $450m in aid, debt-relief

In a brief visit to Haiti on Wednesday, France’s president Nicholas Sarkozy announced that he will cancel Haiti’s $77m debt to France and pledged $450m in aid. Sarkozy is the first French president to visit the former French slave colony, who fought for and won its independence in 1804. His visit was met with mixed sentiment—many Haitians still feel the bitter sting of the crippling debt France forced Haiti to pay off following the revolt, compensation that took more than half a century to pay off. The president was on the ground for just four hours, and in that time spoke alongside Haitian president Rene Preval, saying he wanted to “turn the page” in France and Haiti’s long, troubled history

Al Jazeera English

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