AP Interview: Haiti's leader says country wants foreign business, not a lifetime of handouts

DAVOS, Switzerland – Haiti's prime minister says his deeply poor country is aiming to attract high-end tourists and multinational investors — instead of constant handouts — to get on its feet after the devastating 2010 earthquake.

Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe recognizes that's an ambitious dream for a country where 52 percent of the population lives below the poverty line and infrastructure is desperately lacking.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Lamothe said Saturday that "Haiti is open for business." He's pushing that idea — and a bid to build up Haiti's tourism industry — in meetings with CEOs at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Haiti still has huge humanitarian needs, but Lamothe says the Caribbean nation does not want to live on international handouts forever.