The DR response is contained in a letter sent by Dominican Ambassador to Washington, Sonia Guzman, to Senators Edward J. Markey and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass); Bernard Sanders (D-Ver); Raphael Warnock (D-Ga); John Hickenlooper (D-Co); and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), the national press had access to.
In a statement to President Joe Biden, dated December 19, the American senators involved Santo Domingo in the illegal arm trafficking, in which they inquired about the US position in the search for solutions to the political, social and humanitarian crisis in Haiti.
The senators also asked President Biden about additional steps to halt “the flow of illegal heavy weapons and ammo coming into Haiti from the United States and through the Dominican Republic”.
In the letter, ambassador Guzman stressed that cracking down on arms trafficking is a high commitment to DR, since this scourge contributes to generating violence and instability that undermine peace, economic development and the harmonious coexistence for DR.
She specified that during President Luis Abinader´s administration, the Government has strengthened (through decrees, laws and regulations) its institutions and favored the capacities to fight off illegal arms trafficking.
Guzman also said that a large part of the customs cargo bound for Haiti passes first through the Dominican Republic due to the fact that most of the Haitian ports remain closed as a result of violence and extreme insecurity generated by criminal gangs.
For President Abinader´s administration, it is unfair “to accuse the Dominican government of being responsible for arms trafficking, because of its social, economic and humanitarian solidarity commitment with the neighboring country,” she said.
In this regard, Guzman stated her government is currently working so hard to control the acquisition of illegal weapons by establishing strict controls including the implementation of the RAPISCAN Eagle P60-S X-ray scanner which has allowed a significant surge in military artifact seizures.
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