WASHINGTON, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Friday she is to visit quake-stricken Haiti Saturday, and meet with Haitian President Rene Preval.

    Clinton said she "will be taking supplies" with her. Rajiv Shah, head of U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is to accompany her.

    "We will be meeting with President Preval and other members of the Haitian government, along with members of the U.S. government team on the ground, including our civilian and military leaders," she said.

    She said she is to convey support and solidarity, and see "first hand the ongoing efforts and deployment of U.S. government personnel and resources."

    United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also said Friday he would soon travel to Haiti to show solidarity with Haitian people and UN staff there.

    Clinton delayed her visits to Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and Australia earlier this week as damage in Haiti's earthquake became clearer. Her department is tasked to spearhead U.S. relief efforts in Haiti, along with USAID and the Pentagon.

    Haiti also has personal meanings to Clinton, as she spent her honeymoon in the island nation, her husband, former President Bill Clinton said in an interview with CNN.

UN chief to travel to Haiti to show solidarity with quake victims

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon speaks to reporters at UN headquarters in New York, the United States, Jan. 15, 2010. The United Nations on Friday issued a flash appeal of 550 million U.S. dollars to provide emergency care to thousands of Haitians suffering from the fallout of Tuesday's earthquake that has devastated the country and created an epic humanitarian challenge.(Xinhua/Shen Hong) Photo Gallery>>>

    UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced here Friday that he will soon travel to Haiti, which was devastated by a massive earthquake earlier this week, to show solidarity with the people of the impoverished Caribbean nation. Full story

Earthquake crushes thousands of buildings in Haiti

    SANTO DOMINGO, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- A major earthquake rocked Haiti on Tuesday, crushing thousands of buildings, including the presidential palace and the U.N. peacekeeping headquarters, and trapping untold numbers of people in the rubble of the capital city.

    The devastation from the magnitude-7.3 quake, the strongest ever recorded on the poor Caribbean island, was so complete that it seemed likely the death toll would run into the thousands, according to reports monitored here. Full story

"Scale of catastrophe in Haiti is very high," says UN peacekeeping chief   

    UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations deals with humanitarian crises all the time but the devastating earthquake in Haiti has stricken especially close to home, said the head of UN peacekeeping forces Alain Le Roy here Wednesday.

    With the number of fatalities among UN staff members rising, LeRoy said the emotion is "extremely high." Full story