Home »

World Immigrations chief wants a ?friendly? Dominican-Haitian pact

Santo Domingo. - The director general of the International Organization for Immigrations (IOM) last night suggested that Dominican Republic and Haiti reach immigration agreements in a "friendly" manner.

The American Brunson McKinley feels that the Caribbean?s Hispaniola island countries are capable of confronting problems such as the trafficking of people across their almost 400 kilometer long border.

"Dominican Republic is an example of the positive that migrations are. Just take the case of the importance for the economy which receives remittances from its citizens abroad," he said in a press conference in the Foreign Ministry.

The OIM director, who arrived in the country last night from Haiti, said that he met with that country?s president, René Préval, and spoke of the migratory situation.

"We believe in a long term solution, because it has been shown that repatriations have become a vicious circle," he said, adding that his organism has "some proposals" to present to the Dominican authorities on the topic.

"It?s not only in this island where there are immigrations problems, it?s a topic that touches many parts of the world and the important thing is to look for lasting solutions, that the rights of the immigrants are not harmed," he said.

The head of the OIM said that in the coming months Dominican Republic and Haiti could announce important decisions regarding common problems, such as the trafficking of people across the border.

According to official figures, about one million Haitians reside illegally in the Dominican Republic.

McKinley also briefly addressed the new migratory policies implemented by the United States, and considered that Mexico is "definitively" the country most affected by this situation.

The OIM director, who visits the country for the first time, is scheduled to meet with president Leonel Fernandez when the Dominican chief executive returns form the United Nations, and other local authorities.