Former U.S. President Bill Clinton says that the Caribbean nation of Haiti is well positioned to pull itself out of the grinding poverty that has ranked it as the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere and create a bright future for its citizens. Mr. Clinton made the remarks Wednesday during his first appearance before the U.N. Security Council in his new capacity as the U.N. Special Envoy for Haiti.
美国前总统克林顿说，加勒比国家海地完全有能力摆脱贫困，创造美好的未来。海地是西半球最贫穷的国家。克林顿星期三在联合国安理会作为海地事务特使首次发言。
Mr. Clinton said Haiti was once a thriving country and could be again.
克林顿说，海地曾经是、将来也有可能是一个繁荣富强的国家。
"I am convinced that Haiti has a remarkable opportunity to escape the chains of its past for several reasons," said Bill Clinton. "First of all, the president, the prime minister and their government are committed to building a modern state with a diversified economy, and they have the understanding and capacity to do it."
克林顿说：“我深信海地现在有一个难能可贵的机会，使其可以摆脱过去。首先，海地的总统、总理及整个政府部门都有决心建设一个包括多种经济成分的现代化国家。他们了解并有能力完成这一使命。”
He said that combined with strong international support from donor countries, an active Haitian Diaspora, supportive non-governmental organizations and an improved security situation should all contribute to a better future for the country's nine million citizens.
他说，在国际社会方面，捐助国、海外海地人以及非政府组织都积极支持海地的重建。此外，当地安全局势的改善也大大有利于这个900万人口国家的经济发展。
Mr. Clinton urged countries that committed $760 million towards Haiti's rebuilding at an April donors conference in Washington to follow through with their pledges, saying only $21 million has been dispersed so far.
今年4月在华盛顿召开的捐助国会议上，有关国家承诺向海地提供7亿6千万美元的援助。克林顿敦促这些捐助国兑现他们的承诺。他说，到目前为止，只有2100万美元兑现。
Development in Haiti has suffered repeated set backs from political violence, poor leadership, corruption, a lack of law and order and natural disasters.
政治暴力、领导不善、政府腐败、缺乏法治以及自然灾害等原因使海地的经济发展长期止步不前。
A United Nations peacekeeping force has helped return stability to the country after a rebellion in 2004, but economic progress remains slow.
在2004年的反政府叛乱爆发之后，联合国向海地派遣了维持和平部队，协助海地恢复了社会稳定，但是其经济发展仍然十分缓慢。
Prime Minister Michele Duvivier Pierre-Louis told the council that her government is committed to fixing Haiti's problems and creating a strong economy as its backbone.
海地总理米歇尔·路易斯在联合国安理会表示，海地政府有决心解决海地的问题，为国家建设打下坚实的经济基础。
"But despite the tremors to which it is still subject and which still render it vulnerable, the government has resolutely committed itself to creating conditions which can give confidence to local investors and attract foreign investment," said Michele Duvivier Pierre-Louis. "Because today, priority has to go to the creation of good and lasting jobs which can also respect the environment."
她说：“虽然还有一些动荡因素，受这些因素的影响局势还很脆弱，但是政府决心创造一个令国内外投资者有信心的环境。目前海地政府的工作重点是创造高质量、并有利于环境的长期就业机会。”
Part of Mr. Clinton's mandate as U.N. Special Envoy is to help encourage more private sector investment in Haiti. He said in the next few weeks he would be leading a trade delegation to Haiti as part of that effort.
作为联合国特使，美国前总统克林顿的使命还包括鼓励私营企业到海地投资。克林顿说，今后几个星期内他将带领一个贸易代表团访问海地。 |