MAR 2: EU RELEASES 100M EUROS TO HAITI IN PROMISED AID

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REUTERS UK

EU Releases 100 mln Euros For Haiti Salaries, Roads
BRUSSELS, March 2 (Reuters) - The European Union said it would start paying quake-stricken Haiti a first tranche of 100 million euros ($135 million) in promised aid on Tuesday to help the government pay salaries, rebuild schools and repair roads. The EU, one of Haiti's largest donors, committed over 300 million euros in initial aid following the devastating earthquake in January that killed more than 200,000 people in the Caribbean nation, the poorest in the Americas.

"This first envelope will be disbursed from now until May," the European Commission, executive arm of the 27-nation EU, said in a statement.

The amount will be used to rebuild government buildings and key state infrastructure. It will provide budget support to help pay salaries, rebuild schools and fix main roads around the capital, Port-au-Prince. (Reporting by Bate Felix, editing by Dale Hudson) ($1=.7395 euro)