2000 – Page 79

Minister of Public Works Miguel Vargas said that the Mejía administration will invest RD$4,000 million to complete 15 megaprojects begun by the previous government in Santo Domingo and Santiago. He said works would restart next week and that he has already met with the contractors. He said priority has been assigned to completing: The John …

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Chief of the Police, Major General Pedro de Jesús Candelier said yesterday that he is optimistic that the new government will support his carrying out a real reform of the Police force. He said he did not find support in the previous administration. Political commentator, Aristofanes Urbáez writing in El Siglo, mocks Candelier’s comments. Urbáez …

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The Executive Branch has requested that the Chamber of Deputies hold on to the passing of the Petroleum Bill, in Congress since October 1999. The bill would automatically index domestic fuel prices to international prices, fixing surcharges levied on local sales. President Mejía had originally said he would await the passing of the bill to …

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Hamlet Hermann, the former director of the Metropolitan Transport Authority (AMET), in an interview in El Siglo says he fears chaos and disorder is making its way back to public transport. He said qualified personnel has been fired, including 21 agents who were carrying out post graduate studies in local universities and at the City …

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Dr. Pedro Franco Badía announced that the Mejía government will not purchase new vehicles for government officers. He said President Mejía has instructed officers to use the vehicles left by the previous administration. Furthermore, he said that vehicles confiscated by Customs should be auctioned off, and not distributed among government officers as occurred during the …

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The Presidency is putting a ban on first class travel by government officers. The executive office announced that President Hipólito Mejía himself will set the example traveling to the United Nations Millennium Summit in economy class and on a commercial airliner. The Listín Diario, in an editorial today comments on the new style of the …

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The Listin Diario newspaper announces that King Juan Carlos and Queen Sophia of Spain will visit the Dominican Republic in mid November. The Spanish monarchs make a two-day stopover prior to participating in the Iberoamerican Summit scheduled for Panama City in November of this year. The King and Queen are accepting an invitation made originally …

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Secretary general of the North Chapter of Colegio Dominicano de Ingenieros, Arquitectos y Agrimensores (Codia), the leading association of engineers and architects in the DR, William Reyna told Listin Diario that the US, France, Italy and Japan are working together on the installation in Pimentel, in the Northeast of the country, of a sophisticated seismological …

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The Senate passed seven loan contracts with international financial organizations totaling US$131 million. President Hipólito Mejía had urged their approval. These are: Instituto Nacional de Recursos Hidráulicos (Indrhi) and the Banco de Comercio Exterior de Colombia. US$18 million for the Los Tres Saltos hydroelectric project. Financing of the development of farming projects for small and …

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According to the president of the Senate, Ramón Alburquerque, President Hipólito Mejía promised to prepare a bill incorporating the contents of Decree 618-00 by which the Mejía administration had authorized unionized taxi drivers the import of duty-free vehicles for transport and cargo transporters a reduction in tariffs on new trucks down to 8%. The President …

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