Amidst hopes and expectations for a solution to the country's definitive entry into DR-CAFTA and in an effort to achieve greater support from international organizations for the macro-economic stability of the nation, Dominican President Leonel Fernandez arrives in Washington, DC today, where he will meet with US President George W. Bush. Fernandez will complete a tight agenda that includes working sessions with government authorities and the presidents of the World Bank (WB), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). This is the President's 26th trip abroad since he took office on 16 August 2004, and his first official visit to the White House. He will be accompanied by a committee of high-level officials, mainly from the economic team, including Foreign Relations Minister Carlos Morales Troncoso; Central Bank Governor Hector Valdez Albizu; and the Presidential and Finance Ministers Danilo Medina and Vicento Bengoa, respectively. Also traveling are the Administrative and Technical Presidential Ministers Luis Manuel Bonetti and Temistocles Montas, as well as the Presidential Information and Press Directors Rafael Nunez and the Chief of Military Assistants, Major General Hector B. Medina. The Dominican Ambassador to the US, Flavio Dario Espinal, said that Fernandez and Bush will discuss a range of topics of interest to both leaders with the intention of reaffirming and strengthening relations between the two nations, according to report in Listin Diario. On the agenda are issues such as DR-CAFTA, drug trafficking, security, migration and terrorism. Fernandez was scheduled to leave the DR at 7:30am from the San Isidro Air Force Base and will arrive in Washington at 11:15am. At 2:30pm he will meet with the president of the IMF, Rodrigo de Rato; at 5:00pm with the president of the IDB, Luis Alberto Moreno, and at 6:30pm he will be greeted by staff from the Dominican Embassy and the OAS mission to Washington. Fernandez meets with President Bush at 1:15pm tomorrow.
The Dominican economy grew by 11.3% during the first three quarters of 2006, mainly propelled by internal sectors such as construction, communications and agribusiness, and forecasts indicate that by the end of the year the real Gross National Product growth will remain at two digits, according to Central Bank Governor Hector Valdez Albizu. These figures are based on the new accounting methodology that uses 1991 as its baseline, as opposed to using the previous accounting system based on 1970 figures. Agriculture grew by 14.9%, mining by 10%, local manufacturing by 9.5%, construction by 29.8%, energy and water by 4.8%, commerce by 10.4%, hotels and bars by 8.4%, and communications by 26%. The exception was free trade zones, which experienced a decrease of 5.4%. According to predictions, inflation will close out at 6% this year. Clave Digital reports that during the third quarter, growth reached 10.3%, which increased the average growth of the GNP to 11.9%. "Never before has the Dominican economy grown by two digits consecutively for that period of time", stated the official, who considered this to be the result of the consolidation of economic recovery that the country has been experiencing since mid-2005. Valdez Albizu was speaking during a public function to commemorate the Central Bank's 59th anniversary.
Technical Secretary to the President Temistocles Montas has announced that the IMF mission that arrived in the country is discussing the 2007 budget, which is an important hurdle to overcome if the country is to be in line with the IMF Stand-by agreement. Montas is quoted in Diario Libre as saying that the priorities for next year's budget will focus on health and education. He also said that the government is hoping that the agreement will prevent another economic crisis like the one that happened in 2003.
Public Health Minister Bautista Rojas Gomez has informed that discussions are under way with the Technical Presidential Ministry and the National Budget Directorate for the allocation of 2% of the Gross National Product (GNP) to the ministry's budget in 2007. According to Diario Libre, the official says that the ministry requires a greater allocation of funds if it is to respond to the demand of services in public hospitals. Currently, the ministry's budget is 1.64% of the GNP.
Public Works Minister Freddy Perez has denied that the ministry's projects are paralyzed, and handed over RD$175 million as the first installment of a total of RD$800 million allocated for October. Tomorrow, a further RD$325 million will be delivered for use in the completion of several works and to continue with others, such as the northeastern highway, the San Pedro de Macoris - La Romana highway, the repair of the Duarte highway, the bridge over the Higuamo River and the Bao River esplanade, among others. According to a report in Listin Diario, Perez said that work begun during this administration continues in execution, and if any projects are stopped they correspond to previous administrations. He claims that there are some projects that have remained unfinished for as much as 20 years.
After weeks of planning by Monsignor Agripino Nunez Collado, a meeting that was to include top members of the country's main political parties, Nunez Collado himself and President Leonel Fernandez fell through, after the PRD delegation decided not to show up. PRD heads held a meeting at 11:00am yesterday to discuss whether to take part, and in the end they announced that they wanted an agenda for the meeting, and therefore at the last minute decided not to attend. Monsignor Nunez Collado relayed the information to President Fernandez who announced that he would be willing to have another go at a meeting once he returned from his trip to the United States. Ironically, Diario Libre is reporting that it was the PRD that had urged for the meeting to take place, and Senate leader Reinaldo Pared Perez said that it was in the PRD's best interest to have shown up. The meeting, which had been set for 5:30pm yesterday, was aimed at seeking a consensus on several political and economic issues.
Representatives from the Dominican Republic and the Republic of China (Taiwan) began consultations and negotiations today with the intention of signing a free trade agreement between the two nations. The process, which will continue in six rounds of negotiations throughout 2007 will be led by the Taiwanese Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs, Ho-shong Hou and Dominican Ambassador to the ROC, Julio Ortega Tous. Diario Libre reports that the negotiations are the result of an agreement between Presidents Chen Shui-bian and Leonel Fernandez, according to the statement adopted at the end of Fernandez's official visit to Taiwan last July.
Clave Digital reports that the first meeting will take place in Santo Domingo on Tuesday, according to Ministry of Foreign Relations spokesperson Veri Candelario. The announcement of the FTA comes 12 days after PLD officials returned from a 12-day visit to the People's Republic of China, by invitation of the Chinese Communist Party. They visited Beijing and several provinces to study the political and educational systems in mainland China, said the group's spokesman Hector Olivo. The Dominican Republic has diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but Foreign Relations Minister Carlos Morales Troncoso said during a television interview last April that relations would be established with Beijing if it were beneficial to Dominicans. Although Taiwan has its own government, Beijing considers the island to be part of its territory and refuses to establish relations with the 25 countries that recognize the ROC. However, mainland China has launched a diplomatic offensive in the DR recently, by establishing a trade office and sending leaders of the Communist Party to visit, said Olivo.
Women and girls who are victims of violence in the Dominican Republic find it difficult to access justice, and one of the greatest threats to women's rights is the proposed bill to modify the Criminal Code, according to several Dominican organizations which protested at the Inter-American Human Rights Commission (CIDH) in Washington, DC yesterday. The organizations are claiming that the Criminal Code reform bill represents a step backwards in comparison with the current law on domestic violence. They also insist that elements of the penal code make it difficult for victims to file their cases with authorities and obtain justice, as reported by Clave Digital. The organizations that took part in the protest include the Feminine Action Research Center (CIPAF), Pro-Familia, the INTEC Center for Gender Studies, the Dominican Center for Legal Advice and Research (CEDAIL), the Center for Women's Legal Services (CENSEL), the Santiago Aquelarre Women's Support Group, and the Center for Justice and International Rights (CEJIL), according to a joint statement. Another cause for concern is the proposed reform that exempts an adult from responsibility when he marries an underage girl who he has made pregnant. Representatives of these organizations are taking part in the 126th period of sessions of the Inter-American Human Rights Commission being held at the seat of the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington.
During a meeting yesterday, professors and employees at the UASD University decided to continue their strike until University administrators agree to reconsider the choice of medical insurance. Professors are angered about the administration's decision to choose ARS Humano Insurance as the medical insurance provider, without any other bidding having taken place. More than 500 professors and employees, members of the Federation of Professors (Faprouasd) and Employee Association (Asodemu) met yesterday to vote on the continuation of the strike. The strike will go on until Wednesday at 6:00am. Also during the meeting it was agreed that the Dean and the University will be given until next Monday to come up with their own ARS medical plan. They have warned that if there is no resolution to the problem there will be an indefinite work stoppage in the future. University Dean Roberto Reyna described the meeting as "illegitimate" and exhorted teachers and employees to go back to work. Diario Libre reports that the previous insurance provider was only accepted at four private clinics, where the service was considered to be inadequate, but that though the cost of the new plan is greater, it is accepted at 100 clinics, and includes life insurance, funeral costs and a dental plan. The Dominican Student Federation has come out against the strikes.
The National Hotels and Restaurants Association (Asonahores) is warning that the United States government's decision to require that its citizens traveling to the Caribbean should carry passports will cause serious damage to the Dominican economy, stressing that the US is the principal market for the DR's tourist industry, as reported by Hoy. Asonahores says that 33% of all tourists during 2005 and 2006 came from the US. Asonahores says that this should be one of the topics Leonel Fernandez discusses when he meets with George W. Bush. Passports cost US$100 and significantly increase the overall cost of a vacation for a family of three or four. Asonahores estimates that the country could lose over US$400 million in tourism revenue next year due to the expected drop of tourist flow from the US, and that this would be an "economic catastrophe".
The Mayor of Santo Domingo East, Juan de los Santos has announced that he will submit a resolution to the Council, rescinding the refuse collection contract awarded to Pro-Hygiene and Health Services Company (SEHISA) and will ask for there to be a public bidding for the sanitation contracts. The new company would need to be technically and economically capable of doing a good job, said the Mayor. This announcement comes after days of accusations and counter-accusations following the announcement that SEHISA, a company with no prior experience of sanitation, was given the contracts without public bidding, and it was alleged that de los Santos had family connections to the firm. The resolution could be submitted by Thursday when the Council is due to meet, but no word was given on when the public bidding would take place. De los Santos has denied any wrongdoing or any connections to SEHISA.
National Police have announced the arrest of three men who were in possession of various items used to impersonate police and other law enforcement officials. Juan Elpidio Olivares, Edwin Elias Sanchez and Rodolfo Antonio Hernandez were arrested last weekend, and the police found fake Department of Investigations (DNI), National Drug Control Department (DNCD), and Drug Enforcement Agency badges in their possession. Diario Libre informs that Olivares was also found with an ID that stated he was in charge of the K-9 unit at the airport, a Browning pistol, bullets, and bulletproof vests with the J-2 Marine logo on them. The three men were also found with press passes, Department of Immigration identification, and Armed Forces logos. Police did not say how the men got the items, or what they believed that their intent was.
Presidential Council on AIDS (Copresida) executive director Humberto Salazar says that the prevalence of AIDS cases in the country has shifted to the point where more women are currently affected by the disease, as are heterosexual males between the ages of 15 and 24. Salazar says that the percentage of the population with AIDS is around 1% and that the bateyes (cane cutter settlements) are the areas most at risk. During a meeting in which he signed an agreement with the Haitian Social Cultural Workers Movement (MOSCTHA), Salazar said that migrant communities are at increased risk when it comes to spreading the disease, adding that many of the 80,000 to 90,000 Dominicans who have the disease don't know they have it. Salazar also called for increased AIDS education work between the Dominican Republic and Haiti, and claims that even though the data used from 2002 presents high numbers of AIDS cases, the numbers have most likely come down since there has been an increased awareness on the subject.
The 2006-2007 cruise ship season begins today at Don Diego Port on Avenida del Puerto, with the arrival of the vessel Braemar. The official welcoming ceremony will take place at the dock at 9:00am. According to the Sans Souci Port Administrator, Randolfo Rijo, the ship is arriving from Europe. The Don Diego Port will receive 40 ships throughout the season, each with between 1,000 and 1,100 passengers on board, as reported by Diario Libre.
Dominican-born boxer Joan Guzman has been voted "Outstanding Latino Boxer of the Year" by the World Boxing Organization. The announcement was made at the WBO's annual meeting in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Guzman beat Argentinean Jorge Barrios in Las Vegas for the title and has promised that his first title defense will be made here in the DR.
Andres Duran, spokesman for the recently deceased Dominican-born star Nelson de la Rosa, has announced that once the Rhode Island Forensics Lab has finished its autopsy, de la Rosa's body will be flown to the Dominican Republic where it will be embalmed and put into a museum. No word yet on which museum he will be taken to. This is according to a report in the New York Daily News, printed in today's Diario Libre. Duran also clarified earlier reports that de la Rosa had died in New York, by stating that he actually died in Rhode Island. De la Rosa, who was famous for being the world's shortest man, was returning from Chile, and was on his way to visit two of his brothers when he started having complications, believed to be cardiac-related. Duran explained that de la Rosa was originally going to be cremated, but plans have changed.
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