CARICOM to hold meeting to discuss DR court decision

A meeting of the CARICOM Bureau will be held next week in Trinidad and Tobago to discuss a Court decision which denies citizenship to persons of Haitian descent, who are born in the Dominican Republic.{{more}}

The meeting of the Bureau follows swiftly on the heels of a letter from Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines Ralph Gonsalves to CARICOM Secretary General Irwin La Rocque, in which Gonsalves described CARICOM’s response to the court decision in the Dominican Republic as tepid.

Gonsalves’ letter, dated November 12, said “Thus far, CARICOM’s response has been tepid. We ought to take a very robust stance and act accordingly.

“Accordingly, I urge that you coordinate with the Chairman of CARICOM a firm position consistent with the gravity of the situation. If not, the people of our region would again be disappointed in CARICOM’s leadership.”

On Wednesday, Gonsalves said La Rocque reported that after receiving the letter, he (LaRocque) contacted CARICOM’s Chair, the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who is satisfied that “quiet diplomacy can no longer be sustained.”

According to Gonsalves, Persad-Bissessar agrees that a stronger response is required.

Arrangements are therefore being made for a meeting of the Bureau next week, possibly on Tuesday. The Bureau consists of Trinidad and Tobago, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Haiti.

Gonsalves’ letter to CARICOM follows letters to the President of the Dominican Republic Danilo Medina dated October 11, 2013 and November 11, 2013. In those letters, Gonsalves, on behalf of the Government of St Vincent and the Grenadines, condemned the ruling of the Court, and the reluctance of the government of the Dominican Republic to effect an alteration of the Court’s “jaundiced and unacceptable decision.”

Government officials in the Dominican Republic announced last week that more than 24,000 people would be affected by the controversial ruling and not 200,000, as had been estimated by some human rights groups.

Activists, however, say whether it is 24,000 or 100,000, the decision is still racist and violates international agreements.