The Dominican promoters of the Novo Mundo XXI artificial island to be built off the shore of Santo Domingo have withdrawn from the project, offering no explanation for the reasons behind their decision. In a brief notice published in several of this morning’s papers, Pedro J. Borrel, Gustavo Luis More, Eulogio J. Santaella and Danilo Arzeno say that they remain convinced of the project’s social and economic benefits. The notice also informs the public that Santaella has resigned from his post as President of Santo Domingo Re-Development, Ltd., the company that signed the contract with the government for the development of the mega-project. There has been some speculation that the withdrawal of the Dominican professionals has to do with complaints regarding the questionable track record of one of the associates. The project had received the support of President Leonel Fernandez and the contract was pending congressional approval.