Defeat-weary, former president says he’s ready for “any” pact

Santo Domingo.- Supporters of former president Hipolito Mejia met Tuesday to discuss a counterproposal they plan to make to the faction headed by Miguel Vargas, president of Dominican Republic’s major opposition party, PRD.

Apparently weary from the numerous setbacks in his effort to regain the party’s control, Mejia said he’s willing to accept any agreement with Vargas’ faction, even if it doesn’t lead to an amnesty for the PRD leaders who’ve been reprimanded or expelled.

In the meeting held in the Jose Francisco Peña Gomez Institute, the former president said he doesn’t need the amnesty because as a former president of the Republic, he’s an advitam president of the PRD. "I don’t accept that. If there’s an agreement that says Hipolito is given an amnesty, I won’t accept it, because I don’t accept to be reintegrated, I do not accept that."

He said he cannot be condemned for having conducted a campaign against the mafia he says operates in the country. "I accept the agreement to be reached without contemplation, I’ve said it 100 times and I repeat, I have no problem with that, agreements and decisions reached make my life happy, we have to get through this and I’m tired of sterile meetings."

Mejia added that he gave the nod to "the boys" in charge of the discussion process to reach an agreement, and the proposal which his representatives refused to divulge.