SANTO DOMINGO. - Criticized from the onset as foreign meddling, a delegation  members of the United States Congress, mainly democrats, will arrive in Dominican Republic today to inspect the situation of the sugar mill’s bateyes and the positive or negative impact it could have on the Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA).

The delegation is headed by congressman Eliot Engel (D-New York), member of the subcommittee for the Western Hemisphere and of the Energy and Commerce committee, concerned about the slavery situation in which live and work thousands of cacao pickers in South Africa and industrial plants in Brazil.

Coming together with Engel congressmen are Jerry Weller, Donald Payne, Bill Delahunt, Barbara Lee, Kendrick Meek, Collin Peterson, Maxine Waters and Lynn Woolsey, accompanied by members of their staff.

When the delegation’s visit was announced for the first time, through the newspaper Listin Diario, cardinal Nicolas de Jesus Lopez Rodriguez, politicians and media commentators, stated strong objections to the presence of the legislators in an investigative role in the country.

The United States Congress prepares hearings next year to discuss the problem of enslaved labor.

This visit could be the result of denunciations from Haitian organizations in the U.S., alleging the country abuses of human rights of Haitian sugar cane workers.

On November 17 Sonia Pierre, head of the Movement of Dominican Women of Haitian Descent (Mudha), received the Robert F. Kennedy prize for Human Rights 2006 in Washington.

Her movement spearheads the struggle for the protection of rights of the Haitian immigrants in Dominican Republic, so that women and children can confront the discrimination against them, according to denunciations.

The lawmakers will visit the mill Colon in San Pedro (east), operated by the group Vicini, and it’s still not known if they will include other state or private refineries during their two day visit.

It was reported that they will also meet with president Leonel Fernandez in the National Palace and will supper in the residence of Foreign minister Carlos Morales. They will also participate in two panels on the pros and cons of Free Trade Agreement between the United States, Dominican Republic and several Central American countries.

Dominican today has been in contact with Mr. Engel’s assistant to schedule an interview on their efforts or findings.

Troubled record

In October, 2005 the Dominican Republic was convicted in the Anti-American Court for Human Rights –based in Costa Rica- for violating the rights of the Dominican-born girls of Haitian descent Dilcia Oliven and Violeta Bocio, a sentence whose conditions the country has yet to abide by. The verdict states that Dominican authorities violated their rights to an official birth certificate.