Santiago (Chile): US Secretary of State
Hillary Rodham Clinton arrived in earthquake-ravaged Chile
on Tuesday to offer the devastated country moral and material
support as it recovers from the deadly disaster.
"We brought some satellite phones," Clinton told
Chilean President Michelle Bachelet in a picture-taking
session. "That was the one thing we could get on the plane
right away."
Clinton flew into the capital of Santiago, delivering
much-needed satellite communication equipment and a
technician. It's a first installment of what she says will be
substantial US relief assistance.
Little destruction was visible from the air as
Clinton's plane descended. At the airport itself, palates of
various types of assistance were stacked in front of some
hangers, and one military transport plane landed shortly after
Clinton's US Air Force jet.
Before the weekend quake struck, Clinton had planned a
longer stay in Chile, but she will now only spend a few hours
there before heading to Brazil.
Clinton is in the midst of a weeklong, six-nation
tour of Latin America that has taken her already to Uruguay
and Argentina.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, March 02, 2010, 22:16