In response to yesterday’s accusations by Miguel Amado, the European Union ambassador to the Dominican Republic, government officials have refuted his claims that the country has failed to honor financial commitments to foreign investors. Carlos Despradel, Presidential Office Technical Secretary, declared that the government has always honored its commitments and that if they had not done so the recent increase in foreign investment would have not taken place. The EU is the country’s largest foreign donor and has allocated 176 million euros worth of aid for the period of 2002-2007, which is to be invested in the water supply, education, mining, frontier and local development sectors. Despradel claims that Amado was referring to the dispute over foreign refuse collection firms which are still being negotiated. Danilo del Rosario, who heads the state’s Office for Promotion of Foreign Investment, referred to the refuse collection dispute as an isolated case.