President Hipólito Mejía stressed the plight of Haiti and the burden carried by the Dominican Republic that has already admitted more than one million indigent Haitians. As political matters worsen in the neighboring country, illegal Haitian migration to the DR increases. Mejía again urged the assistance of the international community to help Haiti, and thus reduce migration. "Independently of whether they cut or do not cut sugar cane, Haitian migration creates major difficulties for our health, education, housing, nutrition and environmental policies," said Mejía during the Iberoamerican Summit. In addition to Haiti migration, President Mejía said that the DR economy is also affected by the present high fuel prices and the low prices for traditional exports.
