Spanish PM urges EU to mobilise 'all our forces' for Haiti

(STRASBOURG) - Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Zapatero on Wednesday urged the European Union to "mobilise all our forces" for quake-stricken Haiti, where some one million people have been left homeless.

"As Europeans, faced with the tragedy of Haiti, we have to concretely demonstrate our engagement," Zapatero, whose country currently holds the EU's rotating presidency, told members of the European parliament in Strasbourg.

"The international community has responded strongly and shown solidarity, and the European Union has to be up to the mark," he said.

"In the face of such tragedy, our sole focus must be the Haitian people. They are suffering," he said. "So we have to mobilise all our forces, make every possible and imaginable effort so that Haiti can return to normal."

At emergency talks in Brussels Monday, EU development ministers agreed to release a total of 429 million euros (616 million dollars) in emergency and longer-term reconstruction aid for Haiti.

The Haitian government said Tuesday that the number of people killed in the 7.0-magnitude quake a week ago had risen to 75,000, while 250,000 were injured.