VP says Immigration chief’s view is his personal opinion

Santo Domingo.- Vice president Rafael Alburquerque Wednesday said it’s not government policy to withdraw from multilateral agreements and that the Immigration director’ suggestion that the country denounce the Inter-American Human Rights Court (IACHR) is his personal opinion.

Referring to José Ricardo Taveras’ position on a current human rights case against the country, Alburquerque said when a State signs an international agreement it cedes part of its sovereignty and then has to abide by its rules.

He said multilateral and bilateral agreements have rules set by international law and the only way to repeal them is by agreement between the parties which signed it.

On Tuesday Taveras said the Human Rights Court judge oversteps its jurisdiction on issues of sovereignty, such as nationality or immigration, suggesting that the country withdraw from the hemispheric treaty.

The flap stems from the lawsuit filed against the Dominican Government in that Court, which alleges that the death of nine Haitians traveling in a truck in Guayubín (northwest) in 2000 was a “massacre,” though the Government affirms that it was the driver’s fault for failing to halt at a military checkpoint.