The Listin Diario reports that the government, banks, exchange houses and remittance companies have agreed to bring the exchange rate down to RD$30 to US$1 within a week. Through reliable sources, the Listin Diario learned that a meeting was held at the Presidential Palace on Avenida Mexico, where the government’s team was headed by Hipolito Mejia. Other participants included the head of the Armed Forces, General Soto Jimenez; the chief of Police, General Marte Martinez; the head of the DNI (National Intelligence Agency), General Cruz Mendez; the head of the Internal Revenue Department, Quico Tabar; the head of Customs, Vicente Sanchez Baret; and the governor or the Central Bank, Jose Lois Malkum. The business community was told that the IMF requires the exchange rate to be below RD$40 to US$1 in order to ratify the pending standby agreement. The report says that the President’s economic team was also present. Pedro Castillo, Guillermo Leon Asensio, Luis Molina Achecar, Victor Mendez Capellan, Freddy Ortiz and Jose Manuel Lopez Valdes represented the commercial banks, the remittance companies and the exchange houses. After the President spoke on the need to lower the exchange rate, the various spokespeople expressed their agreement. According to what was reported to the Dominican Association of Remittance Companies, as printed in Hoy newspaper, the President ordered the exchange agencies to rein in their rate to bring it under the RD$40 mark. Hoy also revealed that during the meeting, a commission composed of three generals and other officials was assigned the task of enforcing the agreements, and, beginning today, no unauthorized sales of dollars or euros will be permitted. Emilio Lapayese, in his column “100 Words”, did not let this meeting slip by without commentary. He says the presence of the high-ranking military and police figures might have a special meaning, yet unknown, but does not promote much reassurance.