PORT-AU-PRINCE (AFP) — Haiti could see what remains of its foreign debt forgiven by the middle of 2009 as it struggles with the devastation of four hurricanes and tropical storms, World Bank president Robert Zoellick said Wednesday.
"We have forgiven half of Haiti's debt under programs that have been created with donors," said Zoellick at the end of a three-day visit to the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere.
"If the process stays on track, there should be forgiveness of the rest of the debt by sometime, maybe, in the middle of next year."
Haiti's total debt stands at 1.69 billion dollars, of which more than 500 million dollars has been forgiven, Zoellick told reporters at Port-au-Prince airport before his departure.
But he stressed that some conditions still have to be met -- including transparency, battling corruption and good economic governance. He also noted Haiti's "fragility" in the aftermath of food riots earlier this summer.
Zoellick arrived Monday to size up for himself the destruction wrought by the four major storms that pounded Haiti in August and September.
Together they killed 793 people and left more than 300 others missing, according to government figures.
"In addition to loss of life and the destruction in some of the cities, flooding took out a number of roads -- and it's been very hard on the agriculture," said Zoellick, who overflew hard-hit districts in a UN helicopter during his stay.
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