SANTO DOMINGO.- The Dominican Government has decided to continue the total closure of the border through Dajabón until the Government of Haiti “reacts” to build a canal on the Haitian side to divert water from the Masacre River that divides in both countries, it reported Monday Homero Figueroa, spokesman of the Presidency and director of Government Strategy and Communication.
He said that if the conflict is not resolved by Thursday, the Dominican Republic will completely close the border to land, sea and air commerce.
He added that the Government will also activate the Customs Takeover of the Dajabón River, at the beginning of the La Vigía canal, as a short-term measure to guarantee the supply of water to Dominican producers.
He explained that “the information provided by our diplomatic service and State investigative organizations shows that the construction work was carried out unilaterally by individuals.”
He clarified that “the Haitian authorities have confirmed that they do not support or participate in the project, and have repeated many times that they do not agree to its construction.”
“The promoters of this work are businessmen and politicians who want to guarantee the supply of water for commercial purposes,” he indicated.
He recalled that the Haitian government has repeatedly admitted that it does not have the capacity to resolve internal conflicts due to the loss of the Haitian State’s monopoly of force in the hands of criminal organizations.
“This project clearly violates article 10 of the Treaty of Peace, Friendship and Arbitration between the Dominican Republic and the Republic of Haiti. There is no doubt that this unilateral project was promoted by Haitian agents with the intention which will harm their own government and create a conflict in our country,” he said.
He warned that “the Dominican Republic cannot rely on the solution of the Haitian authorities.”
He said that the Dominican Government will be strong in defending National Sovereignty and guaranteeing National Security.
