Security Council welcomes UN response to Haiti

UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council on Friday welcomed the world body's quick response to last month's Haitian earthquake both in the aftermath and in the longer term toward the path of reconstruction.

"Members of the Security Council expressed their solidarity with the Haitian people and welcomed the exceptional mobilization of the international community to meet the needs of Haiti in the immediate and longer term," said a Council press statement, which was read to reporters by the deputy French permanent representative to the United Nations, Nicolas de Riviere, whose country holds the rotating Council presidency for the month of February.

The statement came after the 15-member body held an open meeting on the humanitarian situation in Haiti.

"Members of the Security Council praised the work of the United Nations and stressed the central role played by the UN under the authority of the secretary-general in coordinating the efforts of the international community to support the Haitian authorities," the statement said.

The Council statement also stressed the importance of an upcoming international conference on the reconstruction of Haiti, which is planned for March 31 in New York.

Meanwhile, the 15-member body reaffirmed their support for the Haitian government and its leadership in the reconstruction of Haiti.

"Members of the Security Council reiterated their determination to remain actively engaged in support of international efforts towards stability and reconstruction of Haiti," the statement added.

On Thursday, UN Secretary-general Ban Ki-moon and the UN special envoy, former U.S. president Bill Clinton, appealed to the world for 1.44 billion U.S. dollars to render humanitarian and early recovery assistance to quake-hit Haiti.

The figure, the largest ever natural disaster appeal by the world body, will be used to help some three million people badly affected by the Jan. 12 earthquake, totaling 30 percent of the population in the Caribbean country.