President Hipólito Mejía focused on his support to globalization with a human face and the plight of Haiti, and its burden on the Dominican Republic in his seven-minute address Wednesday, 6 September during the Summit of the Millennium of the United Nations. Speaking in New York City in the presence of 147 heads of state and government, President Mejía advocated that the charter of the United Nations, dating back to 1945, be modified so that it better responds to the needs of the developing world. Focusing closer to home, on the island of Hispaniola, he emphasized that the Dominican Republic and Haiti have a marriage where there is no divorce. Nevertheless, he said the Dominican Republic cannot bear the heavy costs of the migration of illegal Haitians. "The international community need to become aware that the DR does not have the means to bear the social burden of the presence of hundreds of thousands of our neighbors," he said. "I urge that the heads of state gathered here today receive my words as a dramatic call take responsibility for this serious reality. It is time for solidarity." He stressed that Dominican authorities are making extraordinary efforts to handle the migration phenomenon with the utmost comprehension and respect to human rights, He said that any incident on the frontier is not the result of a national policy of repression to contain the flow of illegal Haitians. He said that the Dominican government seeks to foster common develop programs with Haiti to favor the communities of both nations, in order to improve the living conditions of the population. To read the complete speech in Spanish, see http://www.elsiglo.net/nacionales/7e/11.htm
