Haitian gov't to launch economic program proposed by new PM

Haitian President Michel Martelly said Saturday that his government will get down to business after parliament approved an economic program proposed by the newly elected prime minister and the list of his cabinet. "Now that I have my prime minister and my team, let's get to work," Martelly said. Prime Minister Garry Conille's economic agenda, which was overwhelmingly endorsed by the Chamber of Deputies Saturday after a lengthy session, was already passed by the Senate the previous day. The ambitious plan aims to attract investment to help the quake-devastated country's rehabilitation. It will focus on job creation, education, health, investment and environmental protection and the promotion of the rule of law. It calls for the creation of 1 million jobs in five years, the reorientation of the role of the Interim Commission for the Reconstruction of Haiti (CIRH) and the mobilization of 600 billion gourdes (14.96 billion U.S. dollars) worth of resources from 2011 to 2015. Conille, 45, Martelly's third nominee for the post of prime minister, was approved by the Senate on Oct. 4 as the Caribbean country's new prime minister and is set to be sworn in next Tuesday. He is dubbed by Martelly as "a symbol of change requested by the population." Conille, who thanked lawmakers for having confidence in him, said the program is aimed at launching reforms, controlling spending, achieving 9 percent annual economic growth and keeping inflation below 10 percent. The Camber of Deputies also approved Conille's 17-member cabinet list submitted along with the program. Among the list were Thierry Mayard-Paul, minister of the interior, local authorities and national defense, and Laurent Lamothe, minister of foreign affairs and culture. Haiti is undergoing a slow process of reconstruction after the devastating earthquake in January 2010, which killed more than 222,000 people. The country has been further plagued by a cholera epidemic which has caused thousands of deaths.