No Help for Haiti From The Dominican Republic

"Many Dominicans see Haiti as a backward African contrast to their own Hispano-European sophistication. Military officials in the Dominican Republic have bolstered their ranks along the border amid rising fears of illegal crossings by Haitians."

"With more and more aid being directed through the Dominican Republic to avoid the chaos of entering through Haiti's shattered capital, the relief effort is facing a whole new set of bottlenecks:

A tense border; over-crowded roads; and major logistical challenges in the staging ground of Santo Domingo, a relatively small seaside city not prepared for a major influx of global relief."

"Customs clearance, security issues, cargo handlers and private truckers who will expect to be paid up to $2,000 per load. He shakes his head at the thought of trying to move thousands of tons of supplies through the narrow warren-like streets of the cargo area. The only solution, he muses, would be help from the Dominican Republic military. But there's been no offer yet. "

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THEN HAITI REFUSES AID FROM THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

"UNITED NATIONS—Haiti on Wednesday rejected an offer of 800 troops from the neighboring Dominican Republic to be part of a new deployment of 2,000 U.N. peacekeepers approved by the Security Council, according to a senior Western diplomat and a senior U.N. official.

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Haiti and the Dominican Republic, which share the island of Hispaniola, have had a long history of tense relations.

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Resentment over the occupation and racial and religious tensions marred relations for many decades even after Haiti ceased trying to reoccupy the country."

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What a sad situation.