Hollande promises to pay 'moral debt' to former colony Haiti

French President Francois Hollande (centre L) and Haitian President Michel Martelly (centre R) arrive to tour Musee du Pantheon National Haitien (MUPANAH), or Haitian Pantheon National Museum, in Port-au-Prince May 12, 2015. REUTERS/Alain Jocard/Pool

PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - French President Francois Hollande pledged to pay back a "moral debt" to Haiti during a visit on Tuesday to the impoverished Caribbean nation founded by former French slaves who declared independence in 1804.

His visit marked the first official visit by a French president to the hemisphere's poorest country, a former colonial jewel still bitter over a debt France forced Haiti to pay in 1825 for property lost in the slave rebellion.