News reports say that President Hipólito Mejía will travel on Wednesday, September 27 to Guatemala to be present when Central American heads of state meet with Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien. He will thereafter travel to Jamaica, to participate along with Caribbean statesmen in the Caricom meeting with Chretien. Mejía had announced earlier he would not make the trip to Guatemala, where he was earlier this month for a meeting with Mexican President-elect Vicente Fox. This would be Mejía’s third trip abroad in less than a month and a half in office. President Mejía harshly criticized former President Leonel Fernández for his 32 trips abroad. Ironically, so far Mejía’s travel agenda has been more intense than that of Fernández. The DR is dangling its feet on congressional approval of the free trade agreement with Central America and Caricom. Statesmen in Central America and Caricom would like President Mejía to convince Congress to pass the bill. The passing of the bill is dependent on the government either raising the tax on luxury items or the value-added tax (ITBIs) in order to compensate for the passing of the tariffs reform, which will reduce government income on imported goods.
