President Hipolito Mejia and President-elect Leonel Fernandez signed an agreement yesterday afternoon in which they promise to continue talking to each other and searching for solutions to the current crisis. The conversations between the two political leaders took place within the context of the National Dialogue that is coordinated by Monsignor Agripino Nunez Collado, the rector of the Pontifical Catholic University Madre y Maestra (PUCMM). The National Dialogue, which produced a Declaration of Agreement last September, was used so the two leaders could meet on neutral ground and search for meaningful ways out of the current situation. Among the many considerations of the document, Hoy newspaper lists the obligation to open and maintain areas of dialogue between the parties, the need for a sustainable economic policy in the medium and long ranges and the need for macro-economic stability. As a result of the talks, the outgoing and incoming Presidents agreed (1) to maintain communication and continue to give their best efforts to solve the current crisis, (2) that technical people from the President-elect?s transition team will continue to work with Mejia government economic officers and with IMF representatives on the Tax Reform package and have it ready for review by President Mejia by 10 July at the latest, (3) that President Mejia assumes the obligation to present the Tax Reform Bill to Congress no later than 15 July, (4) to begin constructive talks, within the framework of the National Dialogue, with members of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies to ease the way for the Tax Reform package?s approval, (5) to honor the obligations of the Central Bank with regard to the certificates sold to stabilize the exchange rate and prices within the Dominican economy, as an important part of the agreements with the IMF, (6) to coordinate activities to achieve a timely fulfillment of the agreements with the Paris Club for the renegotiation of part of the foreign debt that falls due in 2004, as part of the agreement with the IMF, the signatories of this document agree, and finally (7) that the implementation of a series of reforms will lead to the sustainability of the electric sector over the medium and long ranges. The Agreement for Stability and Governance was signed by President Hipolito Mejia, President-elect Leonel Fernandez and Monsignor Agripino Nunez Collado, the Coordinator of the National Dialogue as a witness.
See http://www.hoy.com.do/…