USA

Obama 'Encouraged' by Haiti's Recovery Efforts

President Barack Obama and Haiti President Michel Martelly shake hands during a photo opportunity in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Feb. 6, 2014.

President Barack Obama has praised Haiti's progress toward long-delayed elections, and pledged renewed American help on the continuing cleanup from the 2010 earthquake.

Obama said he was "encouraged" about Haiti's future after a meeting Thursday with Haitian President Michel Martelly at the White House.

Obama said the "good news'' is that because of international aid that flowed to Haiti after the January 2010 earthquake, "We've begun to see progress,'' with security improving, infrastructure being repaired, and schools and businesses reopening.

The magnitude 7.0 earthquake, centered just west of the capital of Port-au-Prince, killed an estimated 300,000 people and left 1.5 million others without permanent homes.