President Leonel Fernandez has welcomed participants in the XX Rio Summit and encouraged the visitors to enjoy the warmth and friendliness of the Dominican people. Fernandez expressed his confidence that the Summit would generate positive discussions. In his welcoming speech, Fernandez expressed his desire that the member states of the Rio Group would continue to be unified and added that the government and the Dominican public felt honored to host the Rio Group nations heads of state, prime ministers, delegations and invited guests.
Hoy is quoting unnamed sources that claim that during today's meetings, heads of state at the XX Rio Summit will discuss the recent tensions between Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador. Foreign Minister Carlos Morales Troncoso says that President Leonel Fernandez has spoken to the Colombian and Venezuelan presidents and is confident that both will act responsibly. He added that Fernandez has spoken to leaders of the South American neighbors with a view to helping reach a solution to the tensions. Aside from trying to mediate South American troubles, coordinators have released the rough draft of the Santo Domingo Declaration, covering the topics of discussion for the Summit. These include energy, natural disasters and development. According to vice Foreign Relations Minister Jose Manuel Trullols, coordinators met over a two-day period, in closed sessions, in order to draw up the Summit agenda. He explained that once the coordinators had selected the topics, foreign ministers had to give their approval. These topics will be presented to the leaders tomorrow. It is expected that 14 of the 19 heads of state of the Rio Group countries, and two prime ministers, will be attending the Summit. El Caribe reports that the Foreign Ministers will hold an initial meeting in the Ministry's Green Room at 9:30 today. The Summit will begin three hours later. Today's work will finish at 5pm followed by a special dinner for the heads of state at the Presidential Palace at 8:30pm. On Friday, the heads of state will meet at 9am and the official Summit photo is scheduled for 9:30am. President Leonel Fernandez will make the inauguration speech followed by an address by Guyanese President Bharat Jagdeo. Then at 4pm President Leonel will hand over the Pro Tempore Rio Group Ministry to Mexican President Felipe Calderon.
Doctors went on strike yesterday, as promised, but some patients still made their way to hospitals in the hope of seeing a doctor. Hoy is reporting that many of the country's hospitals were empty yesterday and that many patients, even the elderly, had to return home without receiving treatment. Robert Reid Cabral, Dario Contreras, Padre Billini, Francisco Moscoso Puello, Luis Eduardo Aybar and Salvador B. Gautier Hospitals experienced almost complete work stoppages. Dominican Medical Association (CMD) president Waldo Ariel Suero described the strike as a success, while pointing out that doctors did treat patients who needed emergency care. The strike is expected to continue today in 188 hospitals and no word of any truce or any dialogue has been announced. The Alternative Social Forum and some of the transport unions are supporting the strike. State sector doctors are fighting for a wage increase, among other things, and say they should be receiving a monthly salary of RD$59,000.
A meeting between the National Association of Young Entrepreneurs (ANJE) and PRD presidential candidate Miguel Vargas Maldonado was a non-event as ANJE members failed to turn up to the meeting, forcing Vargas to leave and tend to other business. Hoy reports that Vargas showed up at the Hotel Jaragua at 8:10am for a scheduled 8am meeting. The candidate waited for two hours with no ANJE members in sight. Vargas made his way up to one of the hotel rooms and at one point returned to speak to reporters. After no word from ANJE reps, Vargas left. Hoy quotes Carolina Luna of ANJE, who said that the group would be present when President Leonel Fernandez is present. According to ANJE president Pablo Piantini Hazoury, the reason members didn't show was because of "traffic" problems. Piantini said that ANJE's board of directors was present and that about 60 ANJE members were there, but nonetheless apologized to Vargas. Vargas has accepted the explanation and apologies provided by ANJE.
The Central Electoral Board (JCE) has accepted the applications for political alliances submitted by the PLD, PRD and PRSD. The JCE accepted the alliances between the PLD and 11 other parties, the PRD and three other parties and the PRSD's alliance with the Partido Humanista Dominicano.
Initially dismissed as an isolated incident in Higuey, the appearance of the H5N2 virus or avian flu in fighting cocks is causing concern as animal health officials admit that it is a nationwide problem. Nine separate cases of bird flu have now been confirmed by the Department of Livestock. The first case was detected in Higuey in December and was thought to be isolated, but cases have continued to appear, the latest announced in late February. All chickens and roosters that have tested positive for bird flu have been killed and in some cases birds with no trace of the disease have also been culled as a precaution. So far cases have been found in Barranca, La Vega, Santiago, Bani, Barahona, San Juan de la Maguana, Pedernales, La Otra Banda, Santo Domingo and San Pedro de Macoris. Fears about bird flu led Puerto Rican and Haitian officials to ban Dominican chicken and egg imports. PR eventually lifted the ban, but Haiti has yet to lift the ban.
Telecommunications company CODETEL has announced that it will invest RD$8 billion in its LAN line, broadband, systems and customer services infrastructure. Codetel president Oscar Pena says that the telecommunications market in the DR is expected to continue growing. He added that Codetel has more than 50% of the nation's telecommunications market. "There are still development opportunities and we are making large investments to improve the services we offer and consolidate our position as leaders in the telecommunications market."
Army officer First Lieutenant Guillermo Antonio Tejada Kranwinkel, assigned to the National Drug Control Department (DNCD), died yesterday at the Intensive Care Unit at the National Police Hospital. Tejada was hospitalized on Monday after being shot four times at close range by an unidentified assailant. The young officer received the shots while in his vehicle. He was in San Cristobal at the time and had recently left a local barbershop. Tejada's death raises the number of DNCD officials killed to seven in the last few months. Hoy writes that the 26-year old officer died of respiratory failure at 8:35pm. Chances of recovery were known to be slim when news of Tejada's shooting was announced, as the officer was shot in the head and thorax. National Police Chief Rafael Guillermo Guzman Fermin says that investigations into Tejada's murder are ongoing, but did not provide any details about the case.
Since April 2007 seven National Department of Drug Control (DNCD) officers have been murdered and in the same period 200 officers have been attacked. Of those seven deaths four have occurred since October 2007. According to DNCD spokesman Roberto Lebron, the reason there has been an increase in the attacks and deaths is because these officers and the DNCD are working to stop the drug trade in the DR. Would-be assailants have no remorse and don't care about an officer's rank or familial situation when attacking. This was the case when Army Sergeant Fernando Vasquez Jorge was attacked in the presence of his family in Arroyo Hondo in 2007. And although drug related attacks on officers have increased, DNCD president Rafael Ramirez Ferreira said that the DNCD would not falter in their attempts to stop traffickers.
In the last ten years the DR has received 26 million tourists, of whom 12 million were from Europe and 3 million from Germany. This growth has made the European, and the German market in particular, attractive to the Dominican tourism sector, according to Tourism Minister Felix Jimenez, who spoke at the ITB Fair in Germany. The DR is this year's Official Partner Country. Jimenez highlighted all the changes that are being made to the Dominican tourism infrastructure and the multi-million dollar investments that have been made and that are planned for the future. Jimenez paid tribute to President Leonel Fernandez's vision, which he said has allowed for progress in the sector and added that changes in the private sector have also helped spur this growth.
The Micro, Small and Medium Sized Businesses Promotion Program (PROPYMES) and the National District Prosecutors Office have signed a cooperation agreement through which an RD$50 million fund will be created. That fund will provide loans, at favorable rates, to women who have been victims of domestic violence. The agreement comes on the eve of the International Women's Day celebrations. Listin Diario writes that the funds will be used to help women who have been victims of sexual and domestic abuse and who are undergoing psychological care. The women will receive micro-loans for starting businesses and hopefully helping them get away from their abusers.
International oil prices have reached another all-time high, reaching US$105 per barrel. This is the third time in two weeks that the barrel has reached record highs. Last week the price per barrel reached US$102 and US$103 on consecutive days of trading. The increase in oil prices is partly due to OPEC's decision to maintain its oil export quotas and fears caused by the tensions between Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador.
The National Housing Bank (BNV) has announced that it is dropping interest rates as a way of providing incentives to homebuyers and stimulating the housing and construction markets. Interest rates are now at 10.95% annually with payment plans of up to 40. BNV president Leonardo Matos Berrido spoke during a press conference and explained the programs implemented by the BNV aimed at helping homebuyers as well as some of the bank's offers.
Anyone visiting Santo Domingo today or tomorrow should be aware that the celebration of the XX Rio Summit has led to the closure of a number of roads near the Foreign Ministry building, so plan accordingly and try to find alternative routes beforehand. From 6am today until 7pm on Friday, George Washington Avenue, between Maximo Gomez and Abraham Lincoln Avenues, will be closed and Independencia Avenue, between Lincoln and Alma Mater Avenues will also be closed. Also, access to the Ministry between Correa y Cidron Avenue will be closed, as will Paseo de los Medicos, Huascar Tejeda, Rafael Ravelo, Robert Schomburg and Presidente H. Yrigoyen streets. It is recommended to avoid that side of the city altogether. If you must visit that part of the city, try taking public transportation and walk to your destination, if possible.
Because of the XX Rio Group Summit, officials at the UASD University's main campus have canceled classes beginning at noon today and extending until Saturday. Administrative services at the University will run normally and classes at other UASD campuses will be held as usual. UASD dean Franklin Garcia Fermin said that the schedules would be readjusted so that students can make up missed classes.
Dominican music superstar Juan Luis Guerra is teaming up with Mexican rock group Mana to host a concert in Miami, Florida as a way to get Hispanic/Latino voters out to the polls for the US presidential election in November. The concert will be held on 11 March at the Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami. Tickets for the show will sell for between US$200 and US$350, and proceeds will go to the "Ya es hora, ve y vota," campaign. The concert is being sponsored by Democarica USA and "Mi Familia Vota," among other groups.
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