A Listín Diario headline last week accused the Dominican state of negligence in not ratifying five international conventions and protocols that provide protection for natural resources and the environment. Geraldino Gonzalez, the newspaper’s ecology reporter, said the non-signing of these documents has prevented the country taking advantage of technical assistance and financial aid being offered by multilateral organizations to Dominican institutions. Among the conventions not ratified by the government are the Cartagena de Indias Convention for the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment in the Greater Caribbean Region, the Ramsar Convention on the Protection of Lakes and Wetlands, and the Convention on Biologic Biodiversity presented at the Rio de Janeiro summit. There are also others on marine pollution, cooperation to combat oil spills and another related to flora and fauna in protected areas in the Greater Caribbean. Both the ministries of Foreign Affairs and Agriculture have yet to process the items. Vice President Jacinto Peynado said he will recommend that they will be approved, and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Relations, Jose Manuel Trullols promised that his department would examine the situation.
12-18 January 1996
