US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced Wednesday she is to cancel her visit to Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and Australia, and return to Washington to deal with the earthquake in Haiti, according to the US State Department.

The department said in a short statement that Clinton made the decision because of the devastating quake and its severe aftermath. She is to return immediately to Washington from Hawaii.

The State Department, along with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Department of Defense, bear the brunt of work in the US government's humanitarian relief efforts in Haiti.

(Xinhua News Agency January 14, 2010)