President Rene Preval of Haiti and President Leonel Fernández of the Dominican Republic met for lunch for an hour and a half on Saturday. President Preval was in the DR for the II African, Caribbean and Pacific Summit that concluded on Saturday. He had already shared President Fernández’s table at other activities during the summit. At the end of the meeting, a press note was released by the National Palace announcing a Wednesday meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Relations of the Dominican Republic of the ministers of foreign relations of both countries and directors of the departments of migration. The director of Migration of Haiti recently did not show up at a meeting Minister of Foreign Relations of Haiti Fritz Longchamps had requested. In the press note, Haiti recognizes the right of the DR to carry out deportations of undocumented Haitians. Deportations are suspended, nevertheless. In addition to the ministers of foreign relations, also present at the luncheon were Haitian ambassador Guy Lamothe; the coordinator for the Lomé program in the DR, Max Puig; Minister of the Armed Forces Lieutenant General Manuel de Jesús Florentino; Secretary of the Presidency Alejandrina Germán; and the directors of migration of both countries. Upon being interviewed prior to departing from the DR, President Rene Preval said that migration of Haitians to the DR would only stop when living conditions in Haiti. He feels the help of the international community is necessary for this. The political, social and economic crisis that is by now normal in Haiti has impeded that country from getting its act together and moving on to development. For Haiti, the migration of thousands of its illiterate poor is essential to resolving its national problems and social pressure. For the DR, the migration is a heavy burden on already precarious health, education and environmental services. A recent United Nations study shows there is only 1% of forests left in Haiti. Dominican environmental groups have alerted Haiti is accepting to be the depository of toxic wastes from developed countries. Likewise, birth control is not part of the Haitian culture. The international community had promised millions in aid would flow in following the 1995 military intervention of Haiti to restore Jean Bertrand Aristide carried out at a time hundreds of Haitians were traveling by boat to attempt entering the US. This aid never materialized as promised. And as a result of the embargo forced on Haiti to restore Aristide, that nation losts hundreds of jobs in free zone industries. To this day, political and cultural problems within Haiti, continue to be its major obstacle to progress. Today, while migration to the US has considerably been reduced by US coast guard efforts, migration to the DR is now up as there are less opportunities within Haiti. Realistically speaking, there is no way the DR can stop Haitian migration across the about 300-kilometer border. Nor can it manage the logistics and cost of deporting those already living in the DR. It is well known that most of those deported, find a way to return. More over, whenever the local authorities have deported undocumented Haitians, the Haitian diplomacy is quick to get sectors abroad to present the DR as "the bad guys." Indeed, while President Preval publicly accepted the DR’s right to deport undocumented Haitians, Haitian Prime Minister Jacques Edouard Alexis threatened the DR government with strong measures to be taken by international organizations if the repatriations continued. Gradually, in the DR there is more of an awareness of the need to help Haiti to develop, erst Haitians will undevelop the DR. One leading business group in Santiago, has plans to install free zone industries along the frontier if the US Congress passes the textile parity bill. The National Union of Businessmen (UNE) has requested that the DR foreign debt be condoned and moneys used to build hospitals and schools, as well as develop work centers, along the frontier to provide new opportunities to indigent Haitians. Other organizations are pressing for an increase in international aid to Haiti. Today aid to Haiti is difficult to channel due to lack of institutions, and rampant corruption within that nation.
