Haiti's Government signed an agreement with the United States today as part of a Clinton Administration plan to revitalize the Haitian economy.

It will bring a big boost to the Haitian economy.

It is in everyone's national interest to see the Haitian economy do better.

But many saw the visit as a last-ditch attempt to obtain quick cash or petroleum assistance to lift the Haitian economy.

The Haitian economy is in shambles, and people there are, if anything, worse off than the Cubans, Haitian advocates said.

The Haitian economy is in a shambles, with half the work force said to be unemployed.

According to an international consultant who has studied the Haitian economy, over $100 million was injected into Haiti's central bank last year from sources that were not accounted for.

Over the longer term, experts say their hope is not just to put money in empty pockets, but to build a new Haitian economy.

Sanctions have had an overall "wrecking" effect on the already weak Haitian economy, a State Department official said.

Washington has defended its decision to loosen the embargo as a humanitarian measure to alleviate suffering and prevent the destruction of the Haitian economy.