ARTICLE - BARBADOS - HAITI VISA WAIVER

BARBADOS AGREES TO SOME HAITIAN VISA WAIVER, CHILE WORKS ROOM AT CARIBBEAN SUMMIT
(Miami Herald) - By Jacqueline Charles

Barbados is the latest country in Caribbean Community to officially allow Haiti’s business people and diplomats to visit visa free. Meanwhile, Chile’s president makes a cameo appearance at a meeting in Suriname of Caribbean leaders.

PARAMARIBO, Suriname - Barbados became the latest Caribbean nation Friday to remove visa restrictions for Haitian diplomats and business people seeking to travel to the island-nation on business.

So far, 10 of the 15-members of the mostly English-speaking Caribbean Community, Caricom, have signed the agreement with Haiti. The move is designed to help the earthquake ravaged country rebuild by growing its economy.

“Haiti is a member of Caricom and we, as members, have to facilitate our regional people,” said Barbados Foreign Minister Maxine McClean. “Certainly, a good place to start is with businessmen, especially at this time. It is important that they be able to move around the region.”

McClean signed on behalf of Barbados, while Haiti’s Caricom Special Envoy, John P. Alexis, represented Haiti’s foreign ministry. The agreement is part of a larger agreement by Caricom to help Haiti rebuild by allowing free movement of diplomats and business people with a U.S., French or U.K. visa seeking to do business.

Still, visa free doesn’t always mean hassle free for Haitians. Leonard Robertson, Caricom spokesman, said word must now get out to the various airlines that this is permitted.

“When the Haitians show up in Miami they are told, ‘We don’t know if this has been done,’” he said. “The key is for the airlines to be notified officially that this has been done.”

Overall, the summit was a success for Haiti, Alexis said. In addition to the visa waiver agreement from Barbados, Haiti got an extension for the Haiti-Caricom office to stay open for the next six months. Also, Guyana will name an honorary consul to Haiti to help the country strengthen its agriculture sector. In the next two weeks, Suriname will take a business delegation to Haiti and Saint Lucia has agreed to help in the development of its social security system program.

“An invitation from Haiti was extended to the prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago to visit Haiti with government and business leaders of Trinidad,” Alexis said. Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar agreed and Haitian President Michel Martelly will send a formal letter of invitation.

Meanwhile, Chile President Sebastián Piñera expressed his country’s continued support and commitment to Haiti and its children. Piñera visited with a delegation of seven. He held bilateral talks with Trinidad, Jamaica, Suriname and Barbados. He also met with all Caricom leaders in a closed-door session. The country is making a bid for a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council next year, but the matter didn’t come up in the Caricom meeting, Chile Foreign Minister Alfredo Moreno said. Another Chilean government official said Haiti was also preparing to make a go for the seat, but has decided to withdraw after realizing Chile was also seeking it.

“My information is today Chile is the only country,” Moreno said. “One of the issues the president raised here is the whole Latin American and Caribbean countries should be integrated as we can. And that’s the power to be heard in international organizations, but a way of improving economic life for people.”