International

Danilo Medina, President of the Dominican Republic focused on having an agreement for free trade with Haiti. He stated this in the meetings. In May, he won the election in the country.

Agreement On Free Trade

On taking office on August 16, 2012, Danilo Medina stated that efforts would be made towards an agreement in free trade with neighbors of the Dominican Republic in Hispaniola. Such an agreement would help producers at the domestic level to take advantage of services and goods available in Haiti.

He made this announcement after a courtesy call with Albert Ramdin, the Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of American States. The meeting was attended by Michelle Cohen, Ambassador and Shelly Dass-Clark, the policy advisor of Ramdin. Ramdin also happens to be the Chairman of Group of Friends, in Haiti.

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Brutal Military Rule Occupation.

From February 9, 1822 it has been the Dominican Republic, till the present times. During the period of occupation the military rule had been very brutal, as the Dominicans recall. However the reality proves to be more complex.

Large scale exploitation of land took place during Haiti occupation of the Dominican Republic and production of crops for export failed. There was failure in restricting Spanish language usage, elimination of customs that were followed traditionally.

End Of Slavery

Perceptions of the Dominicans about themselves got reinforced. They considered themselves different as compared from the people of Haiti in terms of domestic customs, religion, race and language. During the period of occupation, slavery ended there and it became the Dominican Republic.

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Ban Ki-moon the United Nations Secretary General has announced Carl Alexandre's name as his Deputy Special Representative for United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti.

Kevin Kennedy Replaced

Kevin Kennedy has been replaced by Carl Alexandre. Kevin had served in that position with dedication from April 2010 to December 2012, for which the Secretary General was very grateful.

After the 2010 earthquake, Kevin had made valuable contribution to Haiti. On March 1st, Carl is expected to take on the functions of Kevin. From January 14th, the interim period, Ross Mountain of New Zealand has been appointed by the Secretary General.

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There is a close relationship between Venezuela and Haiti and it has to do with the Creation of the Venezuelan flag. The city of Jacmel in Haiti has a leading role in this.

The original design of the flag was first flown on March 12, 1806 in the bay of Jacmel, Haiti. This was the place where Francisco de Miranda actually created the first Venezuelan flag near Jacmel. He was in charge of flying what would later become the first flag of Venezuela.

Historic data revealed that as the expedition of Miranda prepared to make the final leg of its voyage to Venezuela.

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Julian Fantino, the Minister for International Cooperation has reported that programs that are underway in Haiti would be funded by his department. However the new projects will not be funded as of now.

Funding Old Programs Only
Future related to funding seems to be cloudy after a Ottawa report stating that money to the Caribbean country for funding projects has been frozen. A story was published by La Presse, in Montreal that Julian Fantino was not very happy with lack of progress in Haiti when he visited it in November last year.

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The Haitians are protesting in the Dominican Republic. Not for what you might think. They are not protesting against the Dominican Government for mistreatment. This time, they are protesting against one of their owns.

On January 22, 2013, a group of Haitians, including students, migrant workers and religious leaders, gathered in front of the Haitian Consulate in Santiago and forced the Consulate to close its doors for at least for part of the day. They were demanding the removal of Consul Ralph Hipolitte whom they have accused for being involvement in criminal activities such as selling fake identities to Haitian criminals.

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Abdullah II, King of Jordan, paid a brief visit to Haiti during the last weekend of April, 2013. King Abdullah II was on a broader trip to Spain and United States. During his visit, the King of Jordan met with Haitian President, Michel Martelly. The meeting took place at Toussaint Louverture International Airport at Port-au-Prince. National Palace disclosed that Abdullah II and Michel Martelly discussed issues like health and education as well as security.

The government of Haiti also disclosed that the King of Jordan inquired about the progresses made by the country after the island nation was hit by the devastating earthquake of January 12, 2010 and that Jordan's leader asked about the potential areas where the two countries and work together to help Haiti revive itself from the effects of the natural disaster.

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Cholera has been Haiti's worst health problem for the past few years. From 2010 to the present, there has been a series of outbreaks of this contagious, deadly disease, claiming the lives of about 8,000 Haitians and hospitalizing thousands of men, women, and children. With the country's health care insufficient for its people and in poor conditions and without immediate action, the outbreak could get worse in the next few years to come.

To address Haiti's cholera and health care problem, the United Nations, who has been very active in helping out the country since the 2010 earthquake, delegated the Doctor Paul Farmer from the United States as the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon's special advisor for Community Based Medicine and Lessons on Haiti last December. Several of Farmer's duties are to assist in building support for the fight against cholera in the country and give advice and education on the different medical techniques and alternatives that could be utilized and applied in Haiti and other affected places.

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Haiti has achieved a first in the history of the Caribbean Community's Conference of Heads of Government (CARICOM), appointed to the Chairmanship of the regional body. Haiti President Martelly took the reins of leadership on January 1, 2013. The event was supposed to happen in 2010, before Haiti's earthquake smashed the island to smithereens. Then-President Rene Preval ceded the chairmanship to Jamaica.

Throughout his presidency, Martelly has raised concerns about Haiti's integration within CARICOM's governing body. He wants French to become a certified language, claiming over half of CARICOM's members speak French or Créole. He also intends to make certain Haiti, as a member-nation of CARICOM, reaps the fruits of its membership.

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As per the Vietnam government's 2011 records, there is an increase in bilateral trade between Vietnam and Haiti. In 2010 there was a raise of $11 million in the two way trade after which it reached $40 million in 2011. Vietnamese exports are valued at around $15 million.

Haiti's Openness to Trade

Laurent Lamothe, Haiti's Prime Minister stated at the Monday meeting with Nyuyen Tan Dung, Prime Minister of Vietnam that the number stood at $19 million thorough the first six months of 2012. Lamothe continued to make efforts to push the message across that Haiti was open to trade.

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