France's President Emmanuel Macron comes down the stairs to welcome US Secretary of State, US Special Envoy and France's Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs before a meeting at the Elysee presidential palace in Paris on April 17, 2025. LUDOVIC MARIN/Pool via REUTERS
PARIS (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron said he intends to set up a joint Franco-Haitian commission to examine France's shared past with its former Caribbean colony, which won its independence 200 years ago on April 17, 1825.
"Once this necessary and indispensable work has been completed, this commission will propose recommendations to both governments, so that they can learn from them and build a more peaceful future," Macron said.
He added that in exchange for recognition of its independence and an end to hostilities, Haiti was subjected to a heavy financial indemnity, the payment of which would take decades.
(Reporting by Geert De Clercq; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta)
