Dominican Republic defends controversial ruling in Washington

Santo Domingo.- The Dominican Government will dispatch to Washington DC on Monday a high-level delegation to deal with the media offensive unleashed against the country, in the heels of the Constitutional ruling Court (TC) which denies Dominican nationality to thousands of offspring of Haitians.

The mission will arrive in the U.S. the day before a planned meeting of the OAS Permanent Council, request by one of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) member countries, on the ruling by the Dominican high court.

Presidency chief of staff Gustavo Montalvo, Interior and Police minister José Ramón Fadul, Executive Branch legal adviser Cesar Pina and Central Electoral Board president (JCE) Roberto Rosario.

Dominican ambassador in the U.S., Anibal de Castro and in the OAS, Virgilio Alcántara will join the Dominican delegation in the U.S. capital, said an official source quoted by listin.com.do.

Last Friday, Celia A. Prince, Saint Vincent & the Grenadines Ambassador to the OAS, filed a motion to include the case of the court ruling in the next meeting’s agenda, slated for Tuesday. She argues that the Dominican Court ruling "affects several members of the Organization."

Last month the Constitutional Court ruled that Juliana Deguis Pierre has no right to Dominican nationality because she was born to parents whose status as "foreigners in transit" (without legal residence) excludes her from that right.