France proposes bilateral commission with Haiti to examine adoption procedures

France proposes bilateral commission with Haiti to examine adoption procedures

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (CP) – 23 hours ago

PARIS, France — France is asking Haitian authorities to quickly set up a bilateral commission to look into adoption procedures after Haiti's devastating quake.

Adoptions from Haiti have been under scrutiny after a group of U.S. missionaries was caught trying to smuggle Haitian children out of the country following the Jan. 12 temblor.

The French Foreign Ministry said Friday its ambassador for international adoption, Jean-Paul Monchau, is in Port-au-Prince to present the plan.

The ministry says French families have taken in 277 Haitian children since the quake, after adoption procedures that were already near completion were accelerated. It says Haiti approved all those departures.

French families adopted more children from Haiti last year than from any other country.

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