By Prensa Latina
Santo Domingo : Dominican Republic Foreign Minister Carlos Morales called a US report on human rights a reprisal for the success his country attained in frustrating the Colombia-Ecuador crisis at the 20th Summit of the Group of Rio.
Morales said the solution to the crisis “upset the United States” because it has proved that Latin Americans can reach an understanding among themselves.”
“With the events taking place in Iraq and Guantanamo, the United States has no moral powers to criticize the Dominican Republic,” he said.
Morales reminded that Washington is withholding people accused of being terrorists, at its naval base in Guantanamo, Cuba, without the right to go to trial.
He also criticized Washington´s decision to hand over the human rights report to the media before notifying the Foreign Ministry.
House of Representatives chairman Julio César Valentín also lashes the US report, by calling it “the views of an agency”, and discredited the human rights abuse allegations.
Americans think they own the world, Valentin said. The lawmaker wondered the United States has the right to issue certificate or reports.
Valentin called on the United States government to assess its own human rights situation first, before criticizing the Dominican Republic.
The report from the US Department of States criticizes the Dominican Republic for alleged beatings of detainees and discrimination against Haitian immigrants.