Hti: When will the rest of the world step up?

Haiti's interim prime minister left Washington on Friday with a $40 million aid commitment from the Bush administration and additional promises of assistance to his struggling nation from various international organizations.

``There is strong commitment coming from all the friends of Haiti,'' Gerard Latortue said of the visit. ``I am very optimistic.''

During his three-day stay with a packed agenda, Latortue met with President Bush for about 20 minutes in an unscheduled but apparently planned ``drop in'' Thursday while the prime minister met with national security adviser Condoleezza Rice.

Latortue also met with members of Congress and representatives from the Organization of American States, USAID and the Inter-American Development Bank, World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

The $40 million in emergency U.S. funds will be funneled to Haiti this year, State Department officials confirmed Friday. The money, which will be pulled from other programs, is in addition to the $55 million already allocated for Haiti.

It will be used for job creation and to help rebuild the Haitian National Police, which crumbled during the armed revolt that led to the Feb. 29 departure of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

``What we were initially providing to Haiti was humanitarian assistance,'' said a State Department official. ``The additional $40 million in aid to the interim government will allow it to get back on its feet.''