United States Ambassador Hans Hertell, speaking at the Fourth of July celebrations at the US Embassy in Santo Domingo, said that the United States will always be there for the Dominican Republic in its struggle to obtain a working democracy. Hertell pointed out that corruption is one of the great barriers to an effective democracy. As reported in Hoy, Ambassador Hertell told his audience that when there is corruption it is much more difficult for elected leaders to demand sacrifices from the people when they are really needed. Vice-President Milagros Ortiz Bosch, Vice-Minister of Foreign Relations Miguel Pichardo, and Finance Minister Rafael Calderon were among the government officials attending the gala. Hertell, speaking at the 228th anniversary of the Independence of the United States, said that “the United States has fought, and let’s be honest, is still fighting, against the corrosive effects of corruption on our freedoms and democratic institutions.” The diplomat promised that in the coming months and years the US would back the Dominican government in its fight against corruption.