Ban Ki-moon arrives in Haiti, pledges support to Haiti

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has arrived in Haiti where he met its president, pledging continued support from the United Nations.

Ban talked Haiti's President Rene Preval on Sunday, and then visited the ruins of the UN headquarters.

Later, scores of Haitians, many of them homeless from last week's earthquake, gathered outside the palace. Some say aid should be given directly to the people, and not through the government. Ban delivered a message of hope to Haiti's earthquake victims.

Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General, said, "I'm here to give you hope, and the whole world is supporting you. Do not despair. Do not despair. Have a strong courage."

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, left, greets rescue workers at the destroyed U.N. headquarters in Port-au-Prince, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2010. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)