France to repay Haiti

Yesterday (July 14th) was Bastille Day, marking a popular uprising which gave birth to the modern French state. According to the website for the Ministère des Affaires étrangères et européennes, France chose Bastille Day to announce an Outline Agreement for the Rebuilding of Haiti (ACRH). The Agreement calls for cancellation of Haiti's international debt, which has retarded the development of Haiti during recent decades and contributed to the impact of the recent earthquake and other natural disasters. France acknowledges with the announcement of ACRH that the disaster which befell the Haitian people is not simply the result of the magnitude 7.0 earthquake but is partly the result of economic and social policies including the legacy of French colonization.

(The above is my own translation of the text posted on the website for the Ministère des Affaires étrangères et européennes.) Hat-tip to The Independent, Democracy Now!, and The People's Forum for excellent and timely coverage of the story in English.