The crisis in Haiti will dominate the Caricom meeting in the Bahamas

GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) — Senior officials from Canada, the United States and Haiti met behind closed doors Wednesday to discuss the crisis in Haiti, a topic that is expected to dominate the annual meeting of the Caribbean trading bloc that will opened in the Bahamas.

The CARICOM meeting, which kicked off Wednesday evening and will last three days, is being moderated by Bahamian Prime Minister Philip Davis, who hosted leaders of the 15-member bloc and others including Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Brian Nichols, US Under Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs.

Also participating in the conference the Haitian Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Acting Minister of Justice and Public Security.

A day before the meeting, Davis told a press conference that Caribbean leaders “lack the resources to deal with the Haitian problem on our own, we need foreign help. We hope that the North, Canada and the United States, will help. »

Davis and other Caribbean leaders have complained about rising numbers of migrants because, they say, they are putting pressure on small island government budgets due to the arrival of hundreds of Haitians. The vast majority of Haitians are fleeing growing poverty and violence, including murder, kidnapping and rape, as gangs gain strength following the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021.

Opening the meeting, Davis said Haiti needed urgent attention due to deteriorating conditions there.

“I pray that we can agree on a set of concrete steps that will help move towards a solution that benefits the Haitian people and the region as a whole. We’ve learned that inaction has its costs and its consequences,” Davis told fellow governors.

Members of Trudeau’s delegation said the visit will allow the leaders to discuss political, security and humanitarian assistance to Haiti and contribute “to Haitian-led solutions to the current situation.”

Emmanuel Dubourg, the only member of Haitian origin in the Canadian Parliament, said the Canadian government was “discussing all kinds of options to help people in Haiti”.

The Caricom meeting comes at a time when the Haitian Prime Minister continues to insist on the deployment of foreign forces, a request presented in October without the Security Council of the United Nations having pronounced.

The United States and Canada, along with other countries, sent military equipment and other resources to the Haitian National Police, but did not commit to sending troops, much to the frustration and discouragement of some.

Without giving further details, Henry, Haiti’s prime minister, tweeted that he and Nichols had “an important business meeting” on Wednesday morning.

The Caricom meeting will continue until Friday and the leaders are also due to talk about food security, climate change and other issues affecting the region.

Other officials at the meeting include US climate envoy John Kerry.

“Caribbean governments are looking to act, and the United States’ contribution will be significant ahead of what should be a pivotal year for the relationship,” Wazim Mowla, deputy director and head of the Caribbean Initiative on Council, wrote in an essay. recent. Atlantic.

“Given the challenges facing the region, the Caribbean no longer has time to wait for the United States to act, and the United States should not delay.”