Brazil requests U.S. to give priority on plane landing at Haitian airport_English

RIO DE JANEIRO, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- Brazilian Foreign Relations Minister Celso Amorim said on Friday that he called U.S. State Secretary Hillary Clinton in order to request that the Brazilian planes carrying supplies are given priority in landing at the airport of Port-au-Prince, capital of Haiti.

According to Minister Amorim, some of the Brazilian planes were having difficulties to land at the local airport, whose air traffic control is in charge by the United States since a 7.0-magnitude earthquake devastated Haiti on Tuesday.

The minister qualified the incident as a mere misunderstanding. According to him, it is normal to have difficulties in landing because there are flights from many countries arriving with donations.

"That can be seen as natural because there are many flights from several countries wanting to land," he said, adding that it is important to have it clear that Brazil is being given the "adequate priority."

Amorim added that Secretary Clinton assured him that she would take the necessary steps in order to make sure the Brazilian planes are given priority.

Brazil heads the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Haiti (Minustah), and has about 1,200 military personnel in the country. In the past three days, Brazil has sent six planes loaded with food and water, medicine, medical equipment and several teams of health professionals and rescue workers to Haiti.

Additionally, the country has sent two field hospitals to be set up in Port-au-Prince.

Number of Brazilian military died in Haiti rises to 14

BRASILIA, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- The number of Brazilian soldiers who died as a result of the earthquake that hit Port au Prince, Haiti's capital, on Tuesday rose to 14, according to a statement released Thursday by Brazil's Ministry of Defense.

Four officers remain unaccounted for, and 14 were injured -- two will be returned to Brazil and another two have been hospitalized in the Dominican Republic, neighboring Haiti, the statement added. Full story

Brazilian gov't mourn over death of humanitarian worker in Haiti earthquake

Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim gestures during a press conference in Brasilia, Jan. 13, 2010. The Brazilian government announced on Wednesday that its financial aid to be granted to Haiti to help the reconstruction after Tuesday's disastrous earthquake will reach 15 million U.S. dollars.(Xinhua/Radiobras)

Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim gestures during a press conference in Brasilia, Jan. 13, 2010. The Brazilian government announced on Wednesday that its financial aid to be granted to Haiti to help the reconstruction after Tuesday's disastrous earthquake will reach 15 million U.S. dollars.(Xinhua/Radiobras)
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RIO DE JANEIRO, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Brazilian government on Wednesday mourned over the death of Zilda Arns, a Nobel Peace Prize nominee who was killed on a humanitarian mission in Haiti by the devastating earthquake Tuesday. 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

Special Report: Strong Quake Rocks Haiti