Santo Domingo.- The Dominican Foreign Minister, Roberto Álvarez, criticized the statements of the Haitian ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS), Léon Charles, who claimed that the construction of the canal over the Masacre River would not be stopped. Álvarez deemed these statements “irrational and unacceptable.”
Álvarez emphasized the Dominican Republic’s interest in finding a fair and equitable solution to the issue. However, he also expressed concern about the potential consequences of the canal’s construction. According to Álvarez, if the canal proceeds, it could lead to flooding in nearby communities, including the Codevi free zone, endangering both Haitian and Dominican workers.
While the Dominican government has been attempting to address this matter through dialogue, Álvarez expressed frustration with Haiti’s stance. He urged Haiti to temporarily halt construction and allow necessary studies to determine its viability. The Dominican Government believes that the canal’s construction might not be feasible and aims to avoid a catastrophe.
The Secretary General of the OAS, Luis Almagro, also called for dialogue to resolve the conflict and offered to dispatch a technical mission to assess the situation. He requested support from the President of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) to facilitate the dialogue process.
An OAS delegation is expected to visit Juana Méndez soon to observe the canal’s construction. The issue remains a source of contention between the two neighboring nations.