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TOPIC: Clinton: Critics of US Haiti relief misguided (Boston Herald 1/26/10)

Jen the Michigander

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Posts: 1788

Date: Jan 27, 2010

Clinton: Critics of US Haiti relief misguided (Boston Herald 1/26/10)	Permalink

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/international/americas/view.bg?articleid=1228474&srvc=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+bostonherald+%28Home+-+BostonHerald.com%29 Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said today she resents criticism of the U.S. effort to help stricken Haiti and pledged to redouble efforts to help survivors of the Jan. 12 earthquake. "I deeply resent those who attack our country, the generosity of our people and the leadership of our president in trying to respond to historically disastrous conditions after the earthquake," Clinton said. "Some of the international press either misunderstood or deliberately misconstrued what was a civilian and military response, both of them necessary in order to be able to deliver aid to the Haitians who desperately needed it," Clinton told a gathering of State Department employees. "I have absolutely no argument with anyone lodging a legitimate criticism against our country," she said. "I think we can learn from that, and we are foolish if we keep our head in the sand and pretend that we can’t." Asked to whom Clinton was referring, Crowley mentioned criticism from Italy and France, plus news reporting from Haiti by the Al-Jazeera news network and CNN that he said was unfair. Crowley called reports by Al-Jazeera’s English-language channel inflammatory. "It suggested there was a militarization of the effort. It compared military activities at the airport to a little ’green zone,’" he said. "We thought that was inappropriate." The area of downtown Baghdad containing the U.S. occupation authority following the 2003 invasion became known as the Green Zone. In response to Crowley’s comments, Al-Jazeera English issued a statement defending its reporting in Haiti. It called its work "balanced, fair and detailed," and said it reflected a range of views on quake relief efforts. On Sunday, Italy’s civil protection chief blasted the U.S. military intervention as inefficient and out of touch with reality on the ground. In an interview with state-run RAI television, Guido Bertolaso said the overall relief effort was a "pathetic" failure, and he called for the appointment of an international civilian humanitarian coordinator. The criticism was unusual from Italy, a close European ally of the United States. Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi on Tuesday said Bertolaso’s comments had "caused misunderstandings." "In such cases, it’s best to avoid remarks that can involuntarily spark controversies, keeping in mind that we are all working in good faith to help Haiti’s population," Berlusconi said in a statement. He praised the "generous" U.S. intervention in Haiti, saying that without it, "everything would have been more difficult." Clinton dismissed the Italian criticism Monday, saying during a news conference with Italy’s Foreign Minister Franco Frattini in Washington that a massive humanitarian response could not succeed without military involvement. __________________ Nobody puts THIS baby in the corner!

Alex

Diamond

Status: Offline

Posts: 1191

Date: Jan 27, 2010

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Oh, honestly, some people criticize the U. S. just to criticize the U. S.! We are doing more than anyone else, and are happy to do it. __________________ Barack/Barry: If you're NOT LEGIT, then you MUST QUIT!!

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