ハイチ大地震、復興支援で大統領経験者と協議、オバマ大統領

ニュースの目次
子どもの頃から、疑問に感じていました。世界で飛行機事故や災害が起きたとき「日本人に犠牲者はいない模様」となると、報道がプッツリと切れる、あるいは目に見えないほど小さい記事になってしまう。同じ命に変わりないのになぜ分け隔てをしてしまうのか。もちろん自国の国民は大切だけど…
オバマ大統領が自沈翌日から3日連続で声明を発表しています。およそ100億円の復興支援の拠出と5000人規模の軍部隊派遣も発表しています。これこそまさにオバマ大統領の述べる JUST PEACE（正しい平和）への取り組みそのものではないでしょうか。
アメリカ以外の積極的な救援国としてブラジル、メキシコ、カナダ、フランス、コロンビア、ドミニカの名前を挙げています。なぜ？なぜ日本の名前がそこにないのか不思議でなりません。日本こそが多くの震災を経験し、復興ノウハウに長じ、一番に駆けつけるべき国でないでしょうか。悔しい…
ハイチでの死者は10万人（国民人口およそ1千万）以上にも上ると推測されています。もっと新聞の一面で取り上げるべきではないでしょうか。日本政府は緊急資金協力5億円を発表しました。現地での調査と調整を行う緊急調査チーム（６人）を派遣しました。遅い！小さい！
オバマ大統領はハイチの復興支援に向けてブッシュ前大統領、クリントン元大統領と会談すると発表しました。党派を超え、復興に必要な資金集めなどについて活動していく見通しです。アメリカが各国の紛争に介入することでいかに非難を浴びようとも信頼を維持し続けているのは、まさにこういう支援活動、世界の平和に国家をあげて最優先に取り組む姿勢があるからではないでしょうか。
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Good afternoon, everybody. I wanted to just make a brief statement on the latest situation in Haiti so that the American people are fully up to date on our efforts there.
This morning I spoke with President Preval of Haiti, who has been in regular contact with our ambassador on the ground. I expressed to President Preval my deepest condolences for the people of Haiti and our strong support for the relief efforts that are underway.
Like so many Haitians, President Preval himself has lost his home, and his government is working under extraordinarily difficult conditions. Many communications are down and remain — and many people remain unaccounted for. The scale of the devastation is extraordinary, as I think all of us are seeing on television, and the losses are heartbreaking.
I pledged America’s continued commitment to the government and the people of Haiti — in the immediate effort to save lives and deliver relief, and in the long-term effort to rebuild. President Preval and I agreed that it is absolutely essential that these efforts are well coordinated among the United States and the government of Haiti; with the United Nations, which continues to play a central role; and with the many international partners and aid organizations that are now on the ground.
Meanwhile, American resources continue to arrive in Haiti. Search and rescue efforts continue to work, pulling people out of the rubble. Our team has saved both the lives of American citizens and Haitian citizens, often under extraordinarily difficult circumstances.
This morning, the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson arrived, along with helicopters that will be critical in delivering assistance in the days to come. They are preparing to move badly needed water, food, and other life-saving supplies to priority areas in Port-au-Prince. Food, water, and medicine continues to arrive, along with doctors and aid workers.
At the airport, help continues to flow in, not just from the United States but from Brazil, Mexico, Canada, France, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic, among others. This underscores the point that I made to the President this morning: The entire world stands with the government and the people of Haiti, for in Haiti’s devastation, we all see the common humanity that we share.
And as the international community continues to respond, I do believe that America has a continued responsibility to act. Our nation has a unique capacity to reach out quickly and broadly and to deliver assistance that can save lives.
That responsibility obviously is magnified when the devastation that’s been suffered is so near to us. Haitians are our neighbors in the Americas, and for Americans they are family and friends. It’s characteristic of the American people to help others in time of such severe need. That’s the spirit that we will need to sustain this effort as it goes forward. There are going to be many difficult days ahead.
So, so many people are in need of assistance. The port continues to be closed, and the roads are damaged. Food is scarce and so is water. It will take time to establish distribution points so that we can ensure that resources are delivered safely and effectively and in an orderly fashion.
But I want the people of Haiti to know that we will do what it takes to save lives and to help them get back on their feet. In this effort I want to thank our people on the ground — our men and women in uniform, who have moved so swiftly; our civilians and embassy staff, many of whom suffered their own losses in this tragedy; and those members of search and rescue teams from Florida and California and Virginia who have left their homes and their families behind to help others. To all of them I want you to know that you demonstrate the courage and decency of the American people, and we are extraordinarily proud of you.
I also want to thank the American people more broadly. In these tough times, you’ve shown extraordinary compassion, already donating millions of dollars. I encourage all of you who want to help to do so through whitehouse.gov where you can learn about how to contribute.
And tomorrow I will be meeting with President Clinton and President George W. Bush here at the White House to discuss how to enlist and help the American people in this recovery and rebuilding effort going forward.
I would note that as I ended my call with President Preval, he said that he has been extremely touched by the friendship and the generosity of the American people. It was an emotional moment. And this President, seeing the devastation around him, passed this message to the American people. He said, “From the bottom of my heart and on behalf of the people of Haiti, thank you, thank you, thank you.”
As I told the President, we realize that he needs more help and his country needs more help — much more. And in this difficult hour, we will continue to provide it.
Thank you very much.
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