Flavio Dario Espinal, the dean of the PUCMM Law School and former Dominican ambassador to the OAS in Washington, DC comments on what he believes may be three pieces of good news for the wellbeing of neighboring Haiti. The first is the implementation of the United Nations Security Council resolution that launched the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti, under Brazilian leadership with the support of Chile and Canada. Espinal comments that support of other countries will be necessary, as there are only 1,200 soldiers out of the 6,700 approved by the council to contribute to restoring order, security and institutions in Haiti.
The second bit of good news is the visit to Haiti of a mission from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) headed by Barbados?s Foreign Minister Billie Mille, who had previously disputed the position of Jamaican Prime Minister Patterson in support of Haiti?s ousted Prime Minister Jean Bertrand Aristide. Miller traveled to Haiti with her colleagues from Antigua, Barbuda, Bahamas, Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago. Following that visit, CARICOM announced its support of the new Haitian authorities under Haiti’s Interim Prime Minister Gerard Latortue.
Last on the list is the success of the donors? conference for Haiti at the World Bank in Washington, attended by donor institutions, nations and NGOs, which resulted in pledges worth US$1.5 billion. An assessment by Haiti, the European Commission, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the United Nations and the World Bank found that Haiti would need US$1.365 billion over the next two years to rebuild its fractured infrastructure. Espinal believes that the presence of Colin Powell and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan elevated the political profile of the event. Espinal says this is a signal of a renewed commitment from the international community to find solutions for the profound political, economic, social, environmental and humanitarian crisis Haiti is suffering.
Espinal concludes that while all this is good news, there are limits to what the international community can achieve in a country without any internal means to complement this support. He comments on the political and social divides in Haiti, a country with over 70 political parties, for example. He said there is little collective will. ?Nor can democratic institutions work if there is not a minimum culture of dialogue, tolerance and negotiation,? he points out. Espinal challenges the political Haitian leadership to stimulate this dialogue and consensus so that the international aid may produce the desired results.
The Dominican Republic has a vested interest in improving conditions within Haiti. If there are work opportunities in Haiti, less indigent Haitians will feel the need to seek a livelihood in the Dominican Republic.