According to an information note from the Dominican Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MIREX), a mission composed of Jean Michel Arrighi, Secretary of Legal Affairs of the Organization of American States (OAS) and Andrés Sánchez of the Secretariat for Integral Development arrived in Dominican Republic with the aim of gathering information on the conflict situation linked to the construction in Haiti of an irrigation canal with water intake on the Masacre River in order to submit a report to the Secretary General of the OAS Luis Almagro.

At the start of the meeting, where the Dominican Government had mobilized significant staff, Dominican Chancellor Roberto Álvarez, explained to the OAS delegation that the canal under construction in Haiti could have significant implications not only environmental, but also social and economic "The management of water and associated natural resources has a direct impact on the agricultural and fishing communities who depend on the river, Laguna Saladillo and other wetlands for their livelihood" adding "this mission which visiting us today plays a crucial role [...] Their experience and expertise provide an invaluable platform to address these issues in a fair and objective manner, guided by a commitment to strengthening Peace and cooperation in our region."

He said the government hopes that this process "can lead to a solution that takes into account the concerns of both Nations and that strengthens the institutional and legal architecture that governs bilateral relations."

During the meeting, technicians from the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources (INDHRI) and the National Institute of Drinking Water and Sanitation (INAPA) explained the flood risks involved in Haitian constructio. and the characteristics of the water intakes available to the Dominican Republic in the river on the Dominican side, which do not affect the Haitian part, but on the contrary, some are also used by Haitian farmers.

Participating alongside MIREX were the Dominican Ambassador to the OAS, Josué Fiallo; the director of the DR-Haiti Bilateral Joint Commission, Julio Ortega Tous; Ambassador Miguel Pichardo; the Director of "Border and Limits", Rafael Taveras; the Director of Strategic Studies and Analysis, Anselmo Muñiz; the Legal Director, Boni Guerrero and the Executive Director of INAPA, Wellington Arnaud; the Vice Minister of Agriculture, Eulalio Ramírez; the Deputy Minister of the Environment, René Mateo; the director of the National Geographic Institute, Bolívar Troncoso; the Director of Risks and Natural Disasters of the Ministry of the Presidency, Mario Grullón; the directors of the Cartographic Institute, the geologist Osiris De León and the ecologist Luis Carvajal, of the Academy of Sciences and Environment of the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD).

SL/ HaitiLibre