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Haitian Prime Minister Gary Cornely met with U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson on Saturday at Our Lady of Haiti Catholic Church in Miami’s Little Haiti neighborhood, marking his first official visit to the United States as prime minister.
UN development expert and former Haitian Prime Minister (2011-2012) Connelly left Port-au-Prince on Friday. He entrusted Haitian Justice Minister Carlos Hercule to serve as acting prime minister during his absence due to prolonged instability.
After a meeting that was attended by guests but not made public, Cornely and Wilson held a press conference.
“We are convinced that the only way we can successfully navigate our way out of this difficult situation over the next 20 months is with the active involvement of our brothers and sisters from the Diaspora,” Corneille said in a news release. “We look forward to putting in place the systems, processes and platforms as a transitional government to ensure that we can fully leverage these valuable assets.”
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Wilson noted that they discussed Temporary Protected Status She also outlined a list of demands for President Joe Biden’s administration, including a strategy to address Haiti’s gang unrest.
“We talked about prevention, and we were surprised to find that 50 to 70 percent of the gang members were young boys,” Wilson said. “From what we could tell, they were not adult men.”
Wilson highlighted her efforts to get Haiti on the White House’s ” radar ” and advocated for increased funding to support Haiti’s transition.
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“We will always fight for Haiti,” Wilson said, adding that she plans to travel to Haiti in August and September and has invited Haitian-American leaders and U.S. lawmakers to join her.
Additional meetings planned in Washington and New York
Cornely’s U.S. delegation includes Haitian Foreign Minister Dominique Dupuy and Haitian Finance Minister Kelteen Florestal. Their trip includes meetings in Washington, D.C., and New York City.
The visit by Cornely, who heads the Caribbean Community member country’s transitional government, and other officials came days after Kenyan police arrived in Haiti to help stabilize a country wracked by powerful gangs.
The visit comes as Washington pledges substantial funding for the UN-backed mission, even as it has ruled out sending US troops.
On Monday, Connelly is scheduled to meet with Jon Finer, the principal deputy national security adviser.
Cornelli and his team will also hold “important working meetings” with the heads of international financial institutions, according to Cornelli’s office.
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