G-20 to act on aiding quake-hit Haiti: Seoul

By Lee Chi-dong and Shin Hae-in
SEOUL, Jan. 15 (Yonhap) -- The world's top 20 advanced and emerging economies
plan to issue an emergency statement vowing to actively aid Haiti as it struggles
with the aftermath of a massive earthquake, South Korea's presidential office
said Friday.

"The G-20 member countries had a sherpa meeting in Mexico yesterday to discuss
the agenda for the upcoming summit," Kim Eun-hye, a Cheong Wa Dae spokeswoman,
said at a press briefing. Sherpa is another term for the personal
representatives of world leaders to the multilateral forum, this year's summit
of which is co-chaired by South Korea and Canada.
Kim said the sherpas discussed the Haiti issue and decided to adopt a related
joint statement.
"It will be issued soon," she said, adding the move comes at South Korea's
initiative.
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak believes his once-poor country should play
an active role in assisting Haiti as it was able to emerge as a developed nation
with the help the international community, Kim said.
The South Korean government on Thursday sent a 35-member disaster assistance team
and supplies worth US$1 million to the Caribbean state, and another 7-member team
for medical support was dispatched Friday. Some 70 South Koreans were residing or
traveling in Haiti when the 7.0 earthquake hit the country on Wednesday; all of
them have been confirmed safe.
Lee said earlier in the day that the members of the G-20, the world's premier
forum for economic cooperation, have agreed to "closely cooperate" in aiding
Haiti, where as many as 50,000 people are estimated to have died due to the
quake.
"(Leaders of) The G-20 countries have not actually met, but have contacted one
another and agreed to aid Haiti," the president said in a meeting with the heads
of South Korea's top 30 conglomerates. "I believe the incident calls for
international attention in restoring the country and saving lives."
The earthquake is said to have destroyed thousands of buildings and homes, with
tens of thousands of bodies still buried in the rubble.
Meanwhile, Lee said this year's summits of the world's 20 advanced economies,
slated to be held in Canada in June and South Korea in November, are expected to
help with efforts to end North Korea's diplomatic isolation.
"South Korea believes the G-20's role is of importance in a variety of
development policies for North Korea when it gives up its nuclear weapons and
begins to cooperate," the president. "The G-20 will be helpful in various ways."
lcd@yna.co.kr
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