As expected, the leadership of the Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD) decided yesterday to impose preconditions on its participation in the dialogue proposed by President Fern?ndez. A letter to President Fern?ndez from PRD President Enmanuel Esquea Guerrero laid out three principal conditions. One is that a "Committee of Notables" be appointed to run the Dominican Municipal League (LMD) instead of Senator Amable Aristy Castro [Reformist-Social Christian Party (PRSC) – Altagracia)] until the courts decide whether Aristy Castro or PRD’s Julio Mar??ez Rosario is the real LMD Secretary-General (SG). [Two parallel municipal assemblies were held on January 26th which elected Aristy Castro and Mar??ez Rosario as SG, both after making dubious rule changes.] A second major demand was that PRSC and ruling Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) negotiate as one in the dialogue. A third demand was that before any dialogue commence a clear agenda be set.Reaction from the National Palace was immediate but vague. Press Director Adriano Miguel Tejada said that President Fern?ndez would lay out his position on the dialogue in a letter to Esquea Guerrero. It is not clear yet what relation his position will have with that of his party, PLD. For example, several PLD leaders, including Vice President Jaime David Fern?ndez Mirabal PLD SG Lidio Cadet have already publicly expressed their preference to enter the dialogue with a preset agenda.Reaction from PRSC leaders was swift, rejecting any suspension of Aristy Castro from the SG post, arguing that he won it legally. PRSC officials also rejected the demand that they negotiate in tandem with PLD. PRSC leader Angel Lockwood labeled the demand "a lack of respect" to PRSC and its leader, ex-President Joaqu?n Balaguer.
