2005 – Page 215

Sudden showers in Jarabacoa and Santiago were thought to be the end of two months of scarce rains. Meteorologist Luis Jerez told Listin Diario reporters that the rains continued until late in the evening yesterday. Rains fell as hundreds of small fires were burning in the Haitises area and the central mountain range, and some …

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Fuel prices in the Dominican Republic have returned to the August ’04 levels when the peso/dollar exchange rate was at 43.32. Regular gasoline at RD$96.70 and diesel at RD$71.90 reflect the increase of oil on the international market. For 13 or the last 18 weeks the price of gasoline has been increased. New taxes also …

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The Ministry of Industry and Commerce would head an offensive to support private business proposals for the use of fuels from renewable sources. The proposals call for the replacement of 800,000 propane gas stoves with those run by a stoves that would use a base of ethanol (through the Plan Social de la Presidencia) and …

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Louis Michel, European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, met with President Leonel Fernandez. Shortly after he was dedocrated with the order of Duarte, Sanchez and Mella, silver cross, at the Ministry of Foreign Relations. Michel announced the disbursement of a EUR30 million donation to complete support to a European Union mining program. He said …

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Agustin Carstens, deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund, and a former deputy minister of finance of Mexico, is visiting. He is scheduled to meet with President Leonel Fernandez and to visit Congress. His visit comes as part of the reviewing of the compliance of the Dominican Republic with the IMF stand by arrangement.

President Leonel Fernandez says that governance in the DR would be affected if the peso depreciates again. The Fernandez government authorities have been keeping money circulation in control in order to maintain the appreciation of the peso. Several economists have said the peso is being manipulated, and this is having a negative effect on Dominican …

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Enrique Eduardo de Marchena Kaluche, president of the National Association of Hotels and Restaurants, told Hoy newspaper that if the structure of prices in the country does not soon reflect the appreciation of the peso, there will be many firings in the tourism industry in coming months. He said in an interview that the operational …

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High operational costs, plus taxes, make it more expensive to dine in Santo Domingo than in Miami or New York, according to the president of the National Hotel & Restaurant Association, Enrique Eduardo de Marchena Kaluche. He said that a meal at any restaurant will come to around RD$1,000 or approximately US$35. Restaurant taxes and …

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Jose Antonio Flaquer Lopez, president of the Dominican Association of Exporters, as reported in Hoy newspaper, said that to restore competitiveness to productive sectors it is absolutely necessary that the Central Bank halt policies in effect that restrain the exchange rate to levels that are not on true exchange parity. Speaking on occasion of the …

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The Minister of Armed Forces, Major General Sigfrido Pared Perez denied that the helicopters purchased in the past administration are adequate for fighting fires such as those that have affected the central mountain range over the past three weeks. He said that recently he requested that the manufacturer of the UH-1H Super Huey create a …

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