Haiti's Leaders Might Extend Controversial Recovery Panel's Mandate

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Haitian President Michel Martelly will ask a reconstruction commission to extend its mandate a year.

A government official says Martelly will formally make the request at Friday's board meeting of the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission.

The panel was set up several months after the January 2010 earthquake in an effort to coordinate reconstruction projects and ensure transparency to donor nations. It's co-chaired by former U.S. President Bill Clinton and outgoing Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive.

The 18-month mandate is due to expire in October. The panel's board must approve the extension.

Many Haitians complain the panel hasn't done enough to speed up recovery as Haiti struggles to rebuild from the earthquake.