What is truly evil is that the grinding poverty has been largely ignored, tolerated by corrupt Haitian leaders, and exploited by the colonists. If the “pact” was indeed made, is irrelevant as what the Haitians “believe” through ignorance and suffering is what has to a great extent limited the progress of that nation (just as it has here).
The fact that another natural disaster has heaped more misery to an already suffering people is simply the event that triggered a response in those who have blithely ignored the existence of the conditions in the Western Hemisphere. What is really the mark of the devil is the indifference and that is happening throughout the Western Hemisphere (and the US/Canada/Venezuela, Mexico, Cuba, Brazil -- countries that could certainly spare a dime or could have in the past).
So, they agreed to pay the French a pricey indemnity for their loss of slaves in Haiti ~ in return they got diplomatic recognition as well as access to international trade. The French moved back in to run the sugar business, and the country got poorer and poorer as it paid France the huge indemnity over 100 years.
Along the way they found out that folks who joke about "Poor Mexico, so far from God and so near the United States" weren't really joking.
The US was "invited in" (however that happens) and next thing you know we occupied the country for several decade. They didn't get better.
We've occupied it several other times as well and each time they've managed to sink further into poverty, disease and degradation.
Now the earthquake ~ whatever problems they had they just got a bunch more.
No doubt they'll agree to all sorts of things and Obama will make all sorts of promises, and it's dollars to doughnuts Haiti will find itself worse off than if they'd simply told the foreign devils to stay away!