SANTO DOMINGO, March 15 (AFP) - A conference on Haiti's reconstruction from a devastating earthquake began laying the groundwork Monday for a donors' summit in New York that could seek 14 billion dollars in long-term aid.

The three-day preparatory meeting in the Dominican Republic aims to assess the economic damage Haiti sustained in the January 12 earthquake and identify clear goals for the devastated Caribbean nation going forward.

Talks start with a working dinner with the technical delegates of the invited countries, representatives of the multilateral organizations and damage evaluation experts, the Dominican interior ministry said.

Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive and Dominican President Leonel Fernandez will address the meeting -- including delegations from Argentina, Brazil, Britain, Canada, Japan, Spain and the United States -- on Wednesday.

Representatives from the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, the European Union, the Organization of American States, the United Nations and the Association of Caribbean States will also be present.

The focus will be on emergency reconstruction, providing shelter for an estimated 1.3 million made homeless by the quake, financial aid, and a framework for developing Haiti's agriculture industry.

Conclusions will provide the basis for wider discussions at an international donors conference in New York on March 31 being hosted by the United States and the United Nations.

Haiti will present an outline in New York of its long-term needs as it tries to rebuild from the January 12 earthquake which killed more than 220,000 people and leveled parts of the capital Port-au-Prince and nearby towns.

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) said last month that rebuilding Haiti could cost 14 billion dollars, making the quake the most destructive natural disaster in modern history.