The Dominican ambassador to the United States of America, Flavio Dario Espinal, told a select group of newspaper editors that the DR-CAFTA agreement is a positive step because it consolidates the preferential tariffs that the United States had unilaterally granted to the Caribbean region. He said that this is a time when reciprocity was in vogue. According to the diplomat there are also other positive aspects, such as improving some elements of the rules of origin and the guarantee of an international treaty as well as judicial security. He reminded Listin Diario editors that the pact involves several stages of tariff reductions, and that this will permit the immediate entry, tariff-free for a lot of products, but others will enter 5,10 or 20 years later. The longer waiting periods are for farm products. The ambassador said that appliances, food and chemicals would be the first to enter duty free, which should benefit the consumers.