While President Luis Abinader was in Buenos Aires, Argentina to speak at the 7th Latin American and Caribbean (CELAC) Summit, Dominican Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez was in New York to speak up at the United Nations also for action to resolve the Haitian crisis. Alvarez participated in a new meeting of the United Nations Security Council to follow up on the situation in Haiti.
At the meeting, the Dominican Republic again stated its position that, despite the numerous meetings held and resolutions adopted by this Council, there has been no adequate response to the seriousness of the situation, nor to the concrete requests of the Haitian authorities for assistance so that their National Police can combat the growing control of criminal gangs.
This meeting was held in compliance with Security Council Resolution 2645 that established issues related to the crisis in Haiti be discussed in that body every three months or when a member requested a special meeting, such as in December 2022.
The regular session is part of the effort to try to find a way out of the ongoing crisis that mainly affects the population of Haiti’s main urban centers.
Dominican Foreign Minister Roberto Álvarez charged on Tuesday at the United Nations against international inaction in the face of the crisis in Haiti and again called for the urgent dispatch of an armed force to help combat armed gangs in the neighboring country.
Alvarez, in a speech to the Security Council, recalled that such an international force is “the main demand” of the Haitian authorities and has been endorsed by the head of the United Nations himself, António Guterres, but “still remains without a roadmap.”
“What are the real prospects that this Security Council will finally act firmly on the prolonged Haitian crisis?” wondered the head of Dominican diplomacy, who stressed that as long as there is no firm action on the part of the UN it will not be possible to ask the people of Haiti to trust the organization.
According to Alvarez, the Dominican Republic understands that given the “questionable legacy of previous UN missions in Haiti” there is a desire to consider and adequately plan any response, but he made it clear that time is pressing.
“As direct witnesses of the human drama in the neighboring country, we also know that every minute of waiting means further disruption of the situation and suffering for innocent citizens,” he insisted.
The foreign minister also stressed the complex situation on the border between the two countries and the threat that the Haitian crisis poses to the Dominican Republic.
Last October, the Haitian government officially asked the international community to send a military operation to help it regain control of Port-au-Prince from the gangs that dominate important areas in and around the capital.
In response, the UN Secretary General proposed establishing a “rapid action force” made up of military personnel from one or more countries, but the project has so far failed to crystallize for lack of finding a state willing to lead it.
The United States and Canada have pushed for talks on this issue, but so far have not shown any intention of leading the operation, according to diplomatic sources.
This same Tuesday, the UN and the Haitian government reiterated the urgency for this operation to be deployed to respond to the security crisis and allow the advances seen in the political dialogue to prosper.
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Diario Libre
El Dia
25 January 2023