18712: Esser: Dominican government calls for more help for Haiti (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: D. Esser torx@joimail.com

PETER PRENGAMAN
Associated Press
Tuesday, Feb 17, 2004


SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic - The Dominican government on
Monday called for more international assistance to quell the Haitian
uprising, saying the violence could hurt the Caribbean region.

Meanwhile, authorities suspended an open air border market frequented
by hundreds of Haitians and Dominicans because of tensions over the
killings of two Dominican soldiers last weekend.

Secretary of Foreign Relations Frank Guerrero Prats said Monday the
situation in Haiti wouldn't be solved without the help of other
countries.

"It's time for the international community, multilateral
organizations and friendly governments to act with urgency to combat
a worsening crisis that could be detrimental for the entire region,"
Guerrero said in a statement, responding to written questions by The
Associated Press.

Groups opposing Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide began an
armed rebellion Feb. 5. So far, 56 people have been killed.

The Dominican Republic would not be able to alone handle the possible
consequences of escalating violence in Haiti, such as a mass exodus
of Haitians crossing the border, Guerrero said.

"Haiti can't be left alone, and the Dominican Republic can't continue
to be the only country to bear the burden of the Haitian crisis," he
said, without giving details of what type of assistance the
government was seeking.

The two countries share the island of Hispaniola, separated by a
225-mile border that is desolate and not patrolled in many areas.

The Dominican government estimates that 1 million Haitians live in
the Dominican Republic, many illegally.

As the crisis in Haiti has worsened, the Dominican military has
repeatedly announced reinforcements at the border. On Saturday, two
Dominican soldiers were shot dead in Dajabon, a major border crossing
about 150 miles northeast of the capital, Santo Domingo.

The soldiers' weapons were stolen, leading military officials to
speculate it could have been Haitian opposition groups trying to
shore up arms. The military is investigating.

Fears of more attacks, or retribution, were enough to cancel the
Dajabon market that normally comes alive on Mondays.

"Since those soldiers were killed there are people in town who are
saying they want to take revenge on Haitians," said Father Regino
Mendez, who runs Jesuit Services for Refugees in Dajabon. "This
morning there was a lot of anxiousness and people just didn't show
up."

The Dominican military, which controls the flow of Haitians into the
market, did not return calls.

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