Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves has called for the Dominican Republic to be suspended from Petro Caribe until its Government acts decisively to correct the ruling of its constitutional court.
The ruling revokes citizenship to some 250,000 persons of Haitian descent who were born in the Dominican Republic after 1929.
In a letter to President of the Dominican Republic, Danilo Medina, Prime Minister Gonsalves said that if the situation for citizens-by-birth of the Dominican Republic of Haitian descent is not favourably altered, he intends to raise the matter at the Ninth Summit of Petro Caribe in Caracas on December 13.
He also said that in addition to his public call for the suspension of the Dominican Republic from CARIFORUM, he has written to President of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, asking him to consider suspending Santo Domingo from Petro Caribe, Venezuela’s oil alliance, pending the resolution of the matter.
The Prime Minister said that St. Vincent and the Grenadines has led the way on behalf of the 15-member Caribbean Community and the wider Organisation of American States “in condemning the ruling of the Court, and the reluctance of the Medina Government to effect an alteration of the Court’s jaundiced and unacceptable decision.
He has urged the President to act swiftly in pursuing a path to correct the Court’s prejudiced denial of the human and citizenship rights of persons of Haitian descent born in his country.
The Prime Minister has also written to the CARICOM Secretary General Irwin LaRocque, stating that the regional grouping ought to take a very robust stance and act accordingly.
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