The former foreign minister during the Jovenel Moise administration confirmed that the accusations were driven by “ultra-nationalist and racist” rhetoric, and stated that the neighboring country had already used 11 taps from the flow, a shared water resource whose use is governed by a 1929 treaty.
“This Treaty of Peace, Perpetual Friendship and Arbitration stipulates that said resources must be used in a fair and equitable manner. Why are they taking 11 from the Dominican side without a problem? Why only one from the Haitian side?” the politician asked.
He noted that the goal was to prevent Haitian farmers from using the river to irrigate about three thousand hectares of land in the low-lying Maribarrow Plain and denied that the works would divert the water course.
“It has been clearly established, with supporting documents, that the water harvesting structure to be built along the two-kilometer stretch of the Massacre River that crosses Haitian territory between border stations 13 and 15 can in no way be considered a diversion,” said the leader of the Party Committed to Development (EDE).
The project began during the Moise administration and was halted shortly before the assassination amid discussions between the two governments.
A few weeks ago, farmers took the initiative, and Santo Domingo “strongly asked the Haitian authorities to immediately stop the reconstruction of a canal built by individuals,” according to the Dominican Foreign Ministry.
For his part, Josep insisted that Haiti does not have to suspend work on its territory at the request of a foreign government.
jcm/ane
“Award-winning alcohol trailblazer. Hipster-friendly internetaholic. Twitter ninja. Infuriatingly humble beer lover. Pop culture nerd.”