2004 – Page 158

El Caribe reports that President Hipolito Mejia met with the presidents of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, Environment Minister Frank Moya Pons and several bishops, including Monsignor Agripino Nunez Collado, at the Casa San Pablo of the Catholic Church. The statesman had said he would enact the Sectoral Protected Areas Bill, which would …

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Three days after the tragic flooding that tore through several areas of the Dominican Republic and killed over 300 in Jimani, President Hipolito Mejia traveled by helicopter to the Jimani disaster area yesterday. The most serious part of the disaster occurred at around 2:30pm on Monday, 24 May. The President promised those who lost their …

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New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that a team of disaster management specialists from the New York City Office of Emergency Management will travel to the Dominican Republic today to assess what is needed in the aftermath of the deadly floods. The three experts will look at areas of health and human services, infrastructure, …

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President-elect Leonel Fernandez, in New York on his first trip abroad after his victory on 16 May, met with the Dominican Studies Institute of the City College of New York for the initiation of the New York-Dominican Republic Strategic Alliance, as sponsored by the Fundacion Global Democracia y Desarrollo. The proposal includes health, education, civic …

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Of the 39 soldiers belonging to the Quisqueya II Task Force deployed to Iraq, 36 returned yesterday through Las Americas International airport. Three more soldiers remain in Kuwait, including a medical officer, a liaison officer and a sick soldier who is recovering. The 36 men were part of a platoon of 312 soldiers who assisted …

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The general coordinator of Participacion Ciudadana, Alfonso Abreu Collado, said that the time has come to limit the number of small political parties that seek to maintain their official status with the Central Electoral Board. Those seeking a sure ticket to maintain their formal JCE recognition ally themselves with the majority parties. Abreu Collado said …

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Franco Uccelli, the emerging markets analyst for Bear Stearns, writes that early indications suggest the Dominican Republic?s non-financial public sector (NFPS) showed a deficit, and fell short of meeting the surplus target the country had agreed to as per the International Monetary Fund agreement. Uccelli says the deficit could be as large as 5% of …

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The National Council of Export Free Zones reports that in 2003 the value of exports rose 1.89% compared to exports in 2002. Dominican free zone exports were worth US$4.398 million, up from US$4.317 million in 2002, thus breaking a two-year downward trend. Jeannette Dominguez Aristy made the announcement during the release of the annual statistical …

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Arturo Peguero, the president of the National Association of Free Zones, confirmed that the future looks good for the nation?s manufacturing sector. He said that free zones that last year operated at 70% capacity are now operating fully. He said the Free Trade Agreement with the United States ? which is currently pending US congressional …

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The DR?s international reserves have declined to US$191.2 million, according to a report in El Caribe, representing a drop of US$44.6 million in the first 18 days of May. Edwin Ruiz, writing for the newspaper, says the government has used its reserves to make payments on amounts owed for petroleum imports owed and power generation. …

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