2023-10-12 23:41:00
The Foreign Minister of the Dominican Republic, Roberto Álvarez (middle), was present this Thursday at the OAS to expose his differences with Haiti
(Washington, United States).- The session of the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) that was convened this Thursday with the objective of receiving the chancellor of the Dominican Republic and thus trying to force dialogue with Haiti due to the conflict around to the construction of an irrigation canal on the Masacre River, which acts as a natural border between both countries, ended with an exchange of accusations and an even deeper confrontation between the parties, which included appeals to the past of both nations.
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The Dominican Foreign Minister, Roberto Álvarez, and the Haitian ambassador to the OAS, Leon Charles, presented their arguments in a special session of the Permanent Council, while the Secretary General of the hemispheric organization, Luis Almagro, tried to channel a mediation that for now does not have a concrete expression.
Álvarez defended the Dominican Republic’s position that the construction of the canal is illegal because Haiti did not previously report the project, as established in the 1929 border treaty, and because it never presented environmental impact studies.
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The chancellor was emphatic in demanding the immediate cessation of the work to open negotiations, warning that the canal could cause flooding on both sides of the border by modifying the natural channel of the Masacre River, including a binational industrial plant that employs thousands of Haitians.
Members of the Specialized Land Border Security Corps of the Dominican Republic keep watch while workers build an irrigation canal on the Haitian bank of the Masacre River (EFE/Orlando Barría)
“We find it irrational and unacceptable that the Haitian government insists on not stopping the works,” said Álvarez. “No State has the right to create a catastrophe. “We are trying to avoid it,” he added.
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For his part, Charles defended Haiti’s “sovereign right” to take advantage of the waters of the Masacre River, which originates in both territories and pointed out that the Dominican Republic has already built 12 dams and canals on the river.
“Haiti cannot be required to stop the construction of its first canal, while there are already 12 on the Dominican side,” said the ambassador to the OAS. “Haiti wants dialogue, but will not accept imposed solutions.” He also said that dialogue “cannot be done under the threat, the threat of weapons,” Charles added.
That bothered the Dominican chancellor who responded by appealing to history. “We Dominicans are not responsible for the situation in Haiti. We have never taken up arms against Haiti. Not even once. There is the story, you can look for it. However, we were occupied by Haiti for 22 years. Our independence in 1844 is from Haiti. Therefore, we are not intimidating anyone,” added the chancellor.
The Haitian ambassador, Leon Charles, who was previously National Director of the Police in his country, was in charge of defending the works on the river and said that they will not stop them. OAS
The positions expressed in the Permanent Council of the OAS expose the difficulty faced by the mediation proposed by Almagro. The Dominican Republic was the one that requested the intervention of the OAS, and therefore the visit of the chancellor to Washington. Although Haiti insisted that it wants dialogue, it spoke of doing so bilaterally, so it will remain to be seen whether mediation takes place or not.
“We are sorry to hear the Haitian ambassador reiterate that they will not stop the work. It seems irrational to us,” said Foreign Minister Álvarez in his second intervention, in response to the Haitian proposal. “We record the irresponsibility of the Haitian authorities if this actually causes a tragedy.”
The growing tension takes place in the midst of an already complex situation in the bilateral relationship, with the land border closed almost two months ago in protest against the construction of the canal, which aggravated the migration situation that exists between two nations that share the island of La Spanish.
The Foreign Minister of the Dominican Republic, Roberto Álvarez, had already visited Washington this month to ask Luis Almagro for mediation in the conflict with Haiti.
Almagro tried to reconcile the parties by highlighting that neither country benefits from the current conflict. “The close relationship between both peoples cannot tolerate disagreements that put it at risk,” said the Secretary General of the OAS.
“We have made contacts with the Caricom presidency to add support to this dialogue process, which will have the support of all parties,” added the secretary general.
Despite Almagro’s optimism, the truth is that both parties remain firm in their positions – paralyzing versus continuing the work – and show no signs of wanting to give in. While Haiti calls for “dialogue without impositions,” the Dominican Republic says that this dialogue is unviable as long as the construction of the canal continues unilaterally.
“We do not want to enter a situation that is not the space to find a solution, but it is necessary to record Haiti’s responsibility if this does indeed cause a tragedy,” Álvarez warned about the end.
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