It took a phone call from President Fern?ndez, but in any case the week-long strike in Nagua was finally ended yesterday. The President called the Governor of Mar?a Trinidad S?nchez Province, Ar?stides Victoria Jos?, and asked him to take steps to defuse the situation. In return, President Fern?ndez will meet with provincial leaders on Monday at the National Palace. The provincial representatives will indicate the four most important public projects needed by the province, and the President will order them to be taken care of immediately. Shortly after the call, the local district attorney, acting on "orders from above," released populists leaders detained since the beginning of the week, along with some 70 others detained during the week’s confrontations with police. Strikers had vowed to continue the strike until the prisoners were released.
