The International Monetary Fund mission to the Dominican Republic will depart today after a two-week stay that focused on the conditions necessary to reinstate the Stand By Agreement. Back in Washington, the team will report on the joint efforts that were agreed upon with the DR’s economic cabinet. According to Jose Fajgenbaum, the acting director of the IMF’s Western Hemisphere Department, and IMF senior economist Steven Phillips, the progress made was “significant,” especially in the areas of monetary and fiscal policies. According to the team, a major question remains on how the government will resolve the issue of reform in the electric sector. The discussions will continue, either here or in Washington, to iron out the rough draft or begin a second round of negotiations. Apparently, the most difficult points to concretize are the problems of collections for electricity bills and the effect of the buy-back of the power distribution companies on the government budget.