U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will visit Haiti and the Dominican Republic later this week ahead of a Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago, the State Department announced. Clinton is scheduled to arrive in Haiti on Thursday and travel to the Dominican Republic later that day. She will fly to Trinidad and Tobago on Friday, spokesman Robert Wood said. In Haiti, Clinton will talk about how to promote stability in the Western Hemisphere's poorest country despite its long history of violence and political unrest. “While in Haiti, Secretary Clinton will meet with President Rene Preval to discuss issues of common concern, including stability, security, and assistance,” Wood said. In the Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, Clinton “plans to meet with President Leonel Fernandez and will discuss bilateral development cooperation and efforts to combat drug trafficking,” Wood said. Clinton's trip to the Caribbean comes two days after donor countries meet in Washington on Tuesday for a conference on aiding Haiti. Clinton will join President Barack Obama and 33 other democratically-elected leaders of the Western Hemisphere at the April 17-19 Summit of the Americas. “The theme of the summit is securing our citizens' future by promoting human prosperity, energy security, and environmental sustainability,” Wood said.
