#4039: DR/HT Future minister of foreign relations comments on Haiti (fwd)

[Robert Corbett <bcorbett@netcom.com>]

From: Yacine Khelladi <yacine@aacr.net>



> ********************************************************************
> DR1 Daily News -- Friday, 2 June 2000
> ********************************************************************
> 
> 3. Future minister of foreign relations comments on Haiti
> The first choice for Minister of Foreign Relations of President-elect
> Hipólito Mejía, Hugo Tolentino Dipp told El Siglo newspaper that the
> difficulties that exist between DR and Haiti are caused by the
> participation in influential Haitian intellectuals that are set on
> obsolete schemes. In his opinion, Haiti's problems need to be viewed
> in a global manner, and not by focusing on the problems caused by the
> exodus of Haitians from that impoverished nation to Dominican
> territory. He said that the Haitian intellectuals choose this focus
> because it permits them to attract international solidarity at the
> cost of the good image of the DR abroad. He said that every time there
> are social and political conflicts within Haiti the intellectuals of
> that nation rouse Haitians with the issue of the supposed sufferings
> of Haitians in the DR.
> Tolentino Dipp said that relations between Haiti and the DR have to
> change. In his opinion, Haitian intellectuals have to be the first to
> become aware of this.
> The new minister of Foreign Relations will not have an easy task ahead
> as the expected next President of Haiti, Jean Bertrand Aristide has a
> track record as one who has blamed the DR for all Haiti's problems and
> one who sees in immigration of the impoverished Haitians to the DR the
> solution to social pressure within Haiti.
> 

> ********************************************************************
> DR1 Daily News -- Wednesday, 24 May 2000
> ********************************************************************
> 
> 6. DR-Haitian frontier closed
> The Dominican-Haitian frontier is closed. President Rene Preval Garcia
> of Haiti ordered the closing of the frontier points to prevent an
> exodus of Haitians to the DR.