New Orleans Will
Seek Foreign Aid
2-7-6
NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) --Shortcomings in aid from the US government
are making New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin look to other nations for help in
rebuilding his hurricane-damaged city.
Nagin, who has hosted a steady stream of foreign dignitaries since
Hurricane Katrina hit in late August, says he may seek international
assistance because U.S. aid has not been sufficient to get the city back
on its feet.
"I know we had a little disappointment earlier with some signals
we're getting from Washington but the international community may be able
to fill the gap," Nagin said when a delegation of French government and
business officials passed through on Friday to explore potential business
partnerships.
Jordan's King Abdullah also visited New Orleans on Friday and
Nagin said he would encourage foreign interests to help redevelop some of
the areas hardest hit by the storm.
"France can take Treme. The king of Jordan can take the Lower
Ninth Ward," he said, referring to two of the city's neighborhoods.
Katrina flooded 80 percent of the city and killed more than 1,300
people in Louisiana and Mississippi.
The Bush administration has pledged billions of dollars to Katrina
victims but five months after the storm, New Orleans remains largely in
ruins.
Nagin said his message to President George W. Bush would be that
the federal government needs to refocus on the devastated area.
"We need your undivided attention over the next six months," he
said. "We need backup. We need for you to make the words that you spoke in
Jackson Square a reality."
Nagin was referring to the president's September 15 address to the
nation from New Orleans, in which he pledged "we will do what it takes, we
will stay as long as it takes" to rebuild.
French Transport Minister Dominique Perben, leading the French
delegation to a city that was founded by France in 1718, said, "This
catastrophe has deeply upset the French people and the French government."
France, Perben said through a translator, "wants to be a long-term
partner for Louisiana and New Orleans."
.
|
