Dominican Republic briefly opens border with Haiti

Sunday, February 22, 2004

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AFP): The Dominican Republic briefly opened a northwestern section of its border with violence-torn Haiti Friday to allow Haitians to shop for food at a Dominican market in Dajabon, local authorities said.

The Dominican Republic, which shares with Haiti the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, closed its border for fear Haiti's civil unrest would spill over.

The main Haitian cities along the Dominican border are cut off from Port-au-Prince.

Nearly 435,000 dollars in food and other goods is sold every Monday and Friday in Dajabon.

"The best way to maintain calm is to allow Haitians to enter and leave so they can buy food," said Region Martinez, a priest with the Jesuit Service for Refugees, who had urged officials to open the border.

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