2003 – Page 285

There seems to be a difference of opinions on the current fuel situation. Some say there is plenty of propane, but there is little kerosene; there is or there isn’t enough Avgas, and the situation is affecting tourism. Representatives of the National Council of Private Enterprise (CONEP), the Industrial Association, the Gasoline Retailers Association, the …

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Industry & Commerce Minister Sonia Guzman says the supply of fuel is a serious problem for the Dominican Republic. While Guzman blames the scarcity on the situation in Venezuela and the threat of war in Iraq, she also called for a program of rationing in both the public and private sectors. She pointed out that …

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The National Association of Hotels and Restaurants voices it concern over a potential shortage of airplane fuel, reports Hoy newspaper, however sources close to the refinery say that these concerns are unfounded. Carlos Alvarez Guzman, the director of the Airport Department, told the Listin Diario newspaper that there was enough Avgas to supply the needs …

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President Hipolito Mejia signed two decrees to bolster Law 72-02, which oversees the laundering of property proceeding from the trafficking of controlled substances and drugs. Decree 19-03 establishes the Office for the Care and Administration of Seized and Forfeited Property and was signed into effect at a ceremony at the Presidential Palace in the presence …

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Upon leaving the Santo Domingo Country Club, where he helped honor civil engineers for services rendered to the nation, President Mejia addressed concerns over the future of the national postal service. Mejia announced that he intends to make sure that the current financial problems affecting the Dominican Postal Institute (INPOSDOM) are resolved by the end …

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Financial agencies from Germany and the United Kingdom have advised the Dominican government that the payments pending in the Cogentrix dispute might harm the nationÕs status in the international money markets. Cogentrix, a 300-megawatt power plant installed in southeastern San Pedro, is seeking payment of a US$39-million dollar debt before it will agree to renegotiate …

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The Supreme Court will hear arguments on the constitutionality of the recent amendments made to the Electoral Law. The appeal is now in the hands of the Chief Justice, Jorge Subero Isa. The recent changes came about during a National Dialogue, which had been called to solve a political crisis over the partisanship of judges …

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The Senate began public hearings on the potential candidates for the two judgeships up for grabs on the Central Electoral Board (JCE). At the same time, the leader of the Chamber of Deputies has called for limited debate and quick approval of the 2003 budget. In December, the two legislative bodies locked horns in a …

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In one of the most talked-about cases in recent memory, the deputy for La Vega, Radhames Garcia, is again safe, under the protection of parliamentary immunity. Garcia is accused of trafficking illegal aliens under the auspices of his post of Dominican Consul in Haiti (Cap Haitian), and was immune from arrest while the legislature was …

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Some time ago, DR1 News told its readers of the impending arrival of units of the US Army. Initial accounts varied wildly, until a US Embassy press release relayed that a few hundred soldiers would take part in joint-training and humanitarian missions in conjunction with the Dominican armed forces. With the arrival of approximately 200 …

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