So says S-G Ban, at least, in this press conference announcing Clinton’s appointment as UN Special Envoy to Haiti. If Haitians feel good about President Clinton, then he feels pretty good about them, too — he says that “this is the best chance the Haitians have ever had.”
Clinton also had strong praiseworthy words for the UN peacekeepers in the country, who contributed, in his words, to an environment of “children walking without fear” in Cite Soleil, one of the worst slums in Haiti’s capital city.
Challenges aplenty remain. Clinton’s chief priority, at first at least, will be in getting donor countries to contribute the money they have pledged for Haiti’s reconstruction. While money issues obviously loom large for this impoverished country, it’s encouraging that Clinton’s plans also include some ambitious long-term projects, chiefly the development of a robust alternative energy industry. All this on Clinton’s plate and more, for a lucrative $1/year salary.