President-elect Hipólito Mejía announced that the DR will benefit from a US$25 million loan for the purchase of asphalt from Venezuela. The loan is part of a package of funding reaching US$77.5 million the country will borrow from the Fondo de Inversiones de Venezuela, as part of the Acuerdo de San José petroleum purchasing agreement. The funds will be used for electrification, public transport, road paving and construction of sports facilities. It was announced that of the money, the government will use US$51 million and the private sector, US$26.5 million. President-elect Hipólito Mejía traveled to Venezuela for a five-hour stay on Friday. There he met with President-elect Hugo Chavez. He was accompanied during the meeting by his choice for Minister of Foreign Relations, Hugo Tolentino Dipp.
