A/63/339 its different communities to bond. In that process, two main principles should be followed: respect for historical truth; and non-discrimination of minorities. He put forward a number of concrete recommendations for the Government of Estonia and its civil society. 4. Mission to the Dominican Republic 43. From 23 to 29 October 2008, at the invitation of the Government, the former mandate holder visited the Dominican Republic jointly with the independent expert on minority issues. They submitted a report on the visit at the seventh session of the Human Rights Council (A/HRC/7/19/Add.5-A/HRC/7/23/Add.3). The experts had extensive meetings with senior Government representatives, members of the legislative and judiciary branches, non-governmental organizations, community members, academics and students, political parties, media and other institutions and individuals working in the field of minority issues, social inclusion, anti-racism and discrimination. The delegation visited Santo Domingo, Dajabón and the border region with Haiti, Santiago and San Pedro de Macorís. 44. The experts found that there was a profound and entrenched problem of racism and discrimination in Dominican society, generally affecting blacks, in particular such groups as black Dominicans, Dominicans of Haitian descent and Haitians. The dominant perception among most Dominicans was that their mulatto skin tones distinguished them from darker-skinned Dominicans and Haitians. 45. The experts noted that the issue of racism was almost invisible in certain parts of society, in particular among elites who vehemently denied the possibility of the existence of such a phenomenon. They considered that the invisibility might be the reflection or the consequence of several factors: the historical and cultural depth of racism in the whole hemisphere, from slavery and colonization until the present day; the occupation of the Dominican Republic by Haiti and the achievement of independence of the Dominican Republic from Haiti; and the centrality and instrumentalization of the racial factor during the Trujillo regime and its profound impact in Dominican society. 46. While there was no Government policy of racism and no legislation that was on the face of it clearly discriminatory, the experts highlighted the discriminatory impact of certain laws, particularly those relating to migration, civil status and the granting of Dominican citizenship to persons of Haitian heritage born in the Dominican Republic. In particular, Migration Law No. 285-04 presented problems of conflict with the Constitution of the Dominican Republic, retroactivity and discriminatory application. 47. The experts also noted that people of Haitian descent living in the Dominican Republic, constituting a minority group with rights, as elaborated in the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities, included persons who had lived in the Dominican Republic for decades as well as second and third generations born in the Dominican Republic when it was widely understood that the jus soli provision of the Constitution granted them citizenship. People of Haitian descent in all categories were now having their presence questioned, regardless of whether they had been issued official documents in the past. They were experiencing extreme vulnerability, unjustified deportations and racial discrimination and were denied the full enjoyment of their human rights. 08-49342 11