All four main morning papers carry editorial commentaries focused on the resumption of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) negotiations with the Mejia administration. The government-intervened Listin Diario says that this news “revives the hope that the country will soon be able to return to its normal economic activity.” The writer also states that the reacquisition of the “Edes” – the reason for the suspension of the process – was the government’s only option and is irreversible. The IMF has to understand, says the writer, “that all that glitters is not gold” and that external investment is not always the best solution in these cases, when “foreign capital meets corrupt public servants and the national interest is sacrificed at the expense of personal gain.” Listin’s editorial continues: “The only type of foreign investment advantageous to Third World countries is the sort that has the dual objective of increasing profit and promoting the healthy development of the recipient nation.” According to the commentary, this should be obvious to a major international organization and they should understand why the government bought back the “Edes” from Union Fenosa. The “solidarity contribution” gesture by the business community is a positive sign, concludes the writer, and once the IMF funds come through, everyone can pull together to find viable solutions. Hoy newspaper greets the news of the resumed IMF process with optimism, also citing the announcement from the Inter-American Development Bank and the co-operative spirit of the business sector as good omens for the ailing economy. “Now that our problems have been put in the hands of the IMF, the best we can do is submit to their measures, without falling into the trap of the sort of fooling around which could jeopardize its future,” declares the writer. The editorial ends by saying: “The country deserves a break and should start freeing itself from the grip of so much uncertainty.” For its part, El Caribe advises the government to do all it can to restore lost credibility. The resumption of the IMF process is a first step in that direction, it feels, but there are others that should follow, if the public is to believe they are serious about the problem. The editorial lists the following pieces of advice: all Presidential pre-candidates, including the President, should remain silent until January, no new taxes to be implemented, tax reform to be effected, frugal and sensible budgetary planning, and, perhaps the most challenging, a workable agreement with the power sector. What the nation needs, concludes the writer, is “an end to uncertainty and the return of hope.” Finally, Diario Libre also calls the news of the IMF’s return to the negotiating table “a good sign”. It urges transparency and a constant flow of information in order to restore confidence. “We would like to think that differences will be overcome shortly and that there will be an announcement that the standby agreement has been re-established. Then we shall see what happens to the exchange rate.”