By Jeff Mason
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama said on Wednesday conditions in quake-stricken Haiti remained dire and promised that the United States would be a reliable partner in reconstruction efforts.
Obama, speaking at the White House after meeting Haitian President Rene Preval, said only a global response to the country's crisis could help it recover.
"The situation on the ground remains dire and people should be under no illusions that the crisis is over," Obama said, with Preval standing at his side.
Obama said many Haitians were still in desperate need of shelter, food, and medicine -- a situation that would only grow worse with the onset of spring rains.
"The challenge now is to prevent a second disaster, and that's why at this very moment, thousands of Americans, both civilian and military, remain on the scene at the invitation of the Haitian government," he said.
Obama did not offer any figures for future U.S. financial support to Haiti. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Tuesday the United States had already put some $700 million (467 million pounds) into Haitian reconstruction efforts.
Preval praised the swiftness and size of the international response to the disaster and expressed gratitude to Obama for making the U.S. rescue and relief effort a priority.
"The damages caused in Haiti by the earthquake of January 12, 2010, are unimaginable," Preval said.
Preval said the world should learn from the Haiti earthquake and be prepared for more natural disasters. He called the international response to the Haiti crisis commensurate with the disaster there.
"In addition to earthquakes and tsunamis, global warming is a major concern for the entire planet," he said.
SUPPORT NEEDED
Obama has drafted former U.S. presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton to help raise funds for Haiti, and his comments in the White House Rose Garden may have been aimed at encouraging Americans to keep donating.
"I know that the support of the American people will continue to be essential as Haiti tries to recover and rebuild," he said.
Obama said the U.S. government would remain committed to the reconstruction efforts even after U.S. officials leave.
The White House says more than 20,000 U.S. civilian and military personnel have been engaged in the response effort to the earthquake.
The United Nations said on Tuesday it was confident there will be no security vacuum in Haiti once U.S. and other foreign troops withdraw.
"Even as the U.S. military responsibly hands off relief functions to our Haitian and international partners, America's commitment to Haiti's recovery and reconstruction must endure and will endure," Obama said.
"This pledge is one that I made at the beginning of this crisis and I intend for America to keep our pledge. America will be your partner in the recovery and reconstruction effort."
(Additional reporting by Ross Colvin; Editing by Eric Walsh)
