Errors made by Dominican diplomacy reduce the chances of the DR getting the seat on the UN Security Council, El Caribe newspaper points out today. While President Mejia traveled to Bahamas to participate in a summit of Caricom heads of state, the newspaper points out that many on the Dominican delegation did not speak English and had to use the services of the pilot that took the delegation to Bahamas. The newspaper also points out that the Dominican delegation left a day before the Mexican delegation arrived, leaving the field open to the Mexicans to convince the Caricom heads to forget regional solidarity in exchange for what Mexico could offer them. The DR announced its aspiration to the seat in 1997, and had written commitments from a substantial number of countries. Venezuela and Guyana had put aside their own aspirations to support the DR. But when Vicente Fox was elected President in Mexico in 2000, things changed. Mexico wants the rotating seat and chances are its more proactive diplomacy will get it. The DR announced a mission head by Clara Quiñones will travel to Africa to seek African votes. President Hipolito Mejia and Minister of Foreign Relations Hugo Tolentino Dipp will travel to Latin America seeking other votes. Melvin Matthews, of Hoy newspaper, explains the vote will take place during the General Assembly scheduled for October in New York. The DR or Mexico would replace Jamaica that ends 31 December 2001. Two thirds of those attending the 185-member Assembly are needed. Matthews explains that Mexico’s seeks to repeat in the Security Council as part of new efforts after the international discredit of 70 years of PRI party rule. Matthews says that also working against the DR is the fact that the DR is one of only 27 countries that does not recognize China and has consistently voted in favor of Taiwan.
