Following a meeting with US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld at the Pentagon, President Hip?lito Mej?a announced that a contingent of 250 Dominican soldiers would be sent to Iraq to help with post-war reconstruction projects there. The exact nature of the Dominican contribution has yet to be defined. The President also discussed other forms of military collaboration with the United States, but declined to give details of this at the press conference that marked the end of his US visit.
The decision to make such a contribution was criticized by PLD pre-presidential candidate and former Vice President Jaime David Fern?ndez Mirabal, who said that the Dominican Republic should only take part in the reconstruction of Iraq under the auspices of the United Nations.