Dominican President Leonel Fernandez, speaking at the XVIII Group of Rio Summit in Rio de Janairo, Brazil, suggested that the assembly consider the integration of former Haitian President Jean Bertrand Aristide in the talks concerning the DR’s blighted neighbor to the west. He defined Haiti as a country suffering from a power vacuum and whose economy is based on drug trafficking. Fernandez referred to the Haitian politician whose great popular appeal “should make him a part of the talks.” Calling Haiti a narco-state where poverty and human degradation reign, Fernandez told his audience that they have a historic obligation to assist the beleaguered nation. Fernandez was speaking to eleven chiefs of state and eight governmental representatives in Rio, where the assembly decided to send more troops to Haiti as part of the UN peace-keeping forces there. The Haitian issue became a hot topic in yesterday’s discussions and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio “Lula” da Silva said that “it was necessary for the international community to mobilize and assist Haiti.” Da Silva also said that “keeping order would not be enough to uphold democracy in Haiti.”