In Santiago, Clinton hails Chileans resilience

The US top diplomat Hillary Clinton, on the second leg of her Latin American trip, has visited quake-hit Chile to see the damaged sites and assess the needs of the South American country in the face of the natural disaster.

Received by Chilean President Michelle Bachelet at Santiago’s airport on Tuesday, Clinton was briefed by Bachelet on the damages inflicted by the magnitude-8.8 earthquake on Saturday.

Clinton said that President Bachelet and her government had demonstrated great leadership, and that the Chilean people had responded to the disaster “with resilience and strength.”

“I first come with the great sympathy and support from President Obama and the people of the United States,” Clinton told Bachelet, according to Xinhua.

“We are so grateful for what Chile did in Haiti. Your rescue teams were among the very best in the entire world,” she said.

Clinton said her country was ready to meet all demands for specific supplies from the Chilean government.

“We’ll be here to help when others leave,” Clinton said later in a news conference, reported Latin America News Dispatch, adding that “because we are committed to this partnership and this friendship with Chile.”

The US secretary of state gave Bachelet 25 satellite telephones as part of the aid requested by Chile, along with communication devices, power generators and other equipment.