EU foreign policy chief visits Haiti

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton visited Haiti on Wednesday to assess the needs of the country. The visit comes ahead of the New York donors' conference at the end of the month.

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton (File Photo)

Ashton paid a visit to Port-au-Prince's "baby tent", which encourages mothers to breast-feed their children, by providing a quiet and secure space. She went on to meet EU troops engaged in reconstruction efforts.

She also met with Haitian President Rene Preval and Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive, to discuss long-term economic aid. Ashton said the meetings will help the EU to prepare for the forthcoming donors' conference.

Catherine Ashton said, "One of the issues that all governments have to tackle is making sure there is a system in place to ensure that the aid reaches the people its intended for. We will work with them to try and make sure that that happens."