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The President of France has paid a visit to Port au Prince in the former French colony of Haiti taking with him plans for the reconstruction of the country that has been ravaged by the January earthquake and a number of powerful aftershocks.

Officials from both countries hope that the aftermath of the disaster will herald a new era in relations between the countries, which have been strained in the past.

And many Haitians feel that a revived French presence in the country will act to balance the ongoing operations on the island by American Troops.

However, the country also lives under the legacy of a bitter struggle for independence from France, with a request for reparations made in 1994 having gone unanswered by the former colonisers.

The snub has been diplomatically left unaddressed by Haitian officials in the run up to President Sarkozy’s visit – the first by a French leader since the 1804 uprising that saw Haiti break away from France’s rule.

And Paris officials have already confirmed that the country is cancelling the €56 million Haitian debt currently owed to France.

In a statement yesterday French officials said that the president would be announcing details of a “French plan for the reconstruction of Haiti” which is expected to follow similar lines to those already put forward by the US and UN, all of which propose a renewed focus on the country’s agricultural and tourism sectors.

French president, Nicolas Sarkozy had waded into the war of words between officials from France and the US over the aid effort in Haiti, in an effort to calm heated tempers and soothe relations between the two countries.

President Sarkozy’s office yesterday issued a statement praising the work of US forces on the ground

in Haiti.

The statement comes just days after Sarkozy’s own minister for cooperation accused the Americans of using the tragedy as an excuse for occupation, complaining that US troops had turned away a French aircraft carrying aid at Port au Prince airport.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton responded to the criticisms by saying: “: “We are working to back them up but not to supplant them.”

French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner attempted to quell the argument by saying: “What is important is the fate of the Haitians.”

But the French president seemingly felt the need to step in and avert an embarrassing rift between the two nations.

An official statement issued by his office read: “During their telephone conversation last week, President Sarkozy and President Obama noted our two countries’ resolute commitment in Haiti, and decided to combine their efforts to deal with the humanitarian emergency and subsequently address the enormous reconstruction requirements.

Since then the French authorities have been entirely satisfied with the cooperation between our two countries and, beyond that, the continuous coordination between the crisis centres of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and US Department of State.  They want to pay tribute to the United States’ outstanding mobilization in support of Haiti and the vital role the Americans are playing on the ground..