14266: Verteuil: Re: 14260: Lyall on Visas (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Patrick & Mica de Verteuil <pdeverteuil@yahoo.com>

Most people would agree that each and every country in the world has the
right to decide who comes in and at what cost.
Generally the Governments take whatever decision they believe best meets the
interests of their citizens.
The assembly which wrote Haiti's current constitution considered, debated
and finally rejected the insertion of a clause which would have treated
foreigners on a reciprocal basis; i.e.. if Haitians need visas to enter the
US, then Americans will need visas to enter Haiti. Whilst this idea seems
eminently fair and reasonable the constituents rightly decided that it did
not serve Haiti's best interests.
Haiti may not need residents (such as I) and has always made resident status
difficult to obtain and relatively expensive. Haiti does however desperately
need the foreign currency that visitors are likely to bring and spend here.
In the past Haiti has bent over backwards, in its own interest, to make the
formalities painless and free.
I believe the current retrograde policy will soon be reversed.
Patrick de Verteuil

PS: On another subject. I am given to understand that the new prices for
fuel will be; Gasoline 85 Gdes, Diesel 55 Gdes and Kerosene 60 Gdes.
This is of course a disaster as it will have repercussions throughout the
already fragile economy. I do not believe the Government had any alternative
but consider this. In September at 25 Gdes to the $, Diesel at 33.50 Gdes
was US $1.34 per Gal. Now with 37 Gdes to the $, Diesel at 55 Gdes is at US
$1.49 per Gal. This does not begin to cover the escalating increase in the
World market price of oil. Expect another increase at the pump!