Dominican court strikes down immunity of US military

Santo Domingo.- TheConstitutional Court ruled Friday that Dominican Republic´s obligations withinthe agreement on the status of US personnel in the country, "limit the exerciseof national sovereignty" and represent an indefinite meddling of foreign militarybodies in the country.

It said the substancein its entirety, “creates privileges for the United States Defense Dept. andthe Armed Forces, beyond expectations and possibilities established in theDominican Constitution, ignoring the reciprocity that should be present ininternational conventions.”

The high Court notedthat under Article 3 of the Dominican Constitution, sovereignty of the nationas a free and independent State of any foreign power, is inviolable, “so thatno government can make or allow the execution of acts of direct or indirectintervention in the internal or external affairs of the Dominican Republic orinterference that threatens the character and integrity of the state and theattributes that are acknowledged and consecrated.”

It stresses that theprinciple of non-intervention constitutes an invariable rule of Dominicaninternational policy.

The treaty

"Upon verifyingthat the governments of the Dominican Republic and the United States intend toconsummate an agreement aimed at providing guarantees and privileges to armed forcesand United States Defense Department staff and its contractors during the timewhen they are conducting work in Dominican territory, its purpose is notexplained or detailed, much less, justified, it´s a foreseeable risk to thesovereignty and security of the Dominican nation and consequently for orderingconstitutional protection of these and other principles, the protection is partof the fundamental powers of the Constitutional Court.”