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Amid complaints of U.S. interference in relief efforts to Haiti and a large tremor in Guatemala, the European Union has pledged approximately $200 million in disaster assistance to help Haiti quake victims. Meeting Jan. 18, European ministers in Brussels said they were making $197 million immediately available for disaster assistance to the the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. The ministers also said they were contemplating $300 in longer-term assistance. Meanwhile, the United States, acting largely in the absence of any official Haitian government, is being accused of taking a dominant role in relief efforts at the exclusion of other nations. A French plane containing a field hospital, was reportedly turned away from the Haitian airport by U.S. military, according to the Washington Post. The plane was allowed to land the following day. The Post quoted French Cooperation Minister Bernard Koucher that, “This is about helping Haiti, not occupying Haiti.” Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had said the U.S. is not interested in taking power from Haiti. In Guatemala, no damage or injuries were immediately reported after a 6.0 quake hit 60 miles southeast of Guatemala City.

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