Of the 168 requirements undertaken with the United States and the Central American countries in order to enter the regional free trade agreement, the Dominican Republic has fulfilled 101. This information was released by Francisco Javier Garcia, the Minister of Industry and Commerce, as he spoke with industry leaders during a meeting at the V Centenario Hotel in Santo Domingo. Among the business leaders present were Elena Viyella de Paliza, the head of business council CONEP, Celso Marranzini, and William Malamud from the AmCham. Associations from the free zones, the industries from Herrera and different manufacturing sectors were also present. The private sector said that it would join the government in making the DR-CAFTA agreement work.