[Via Communist Internet... http://www.egroups.com/group/Communist-Internet ] . . ----- Original Message ----- From: Downwithcapitalism <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Friday, June 22, 2001 4:42 AM Subject: [downwithcapitalism] UN adopts Vieques struggle Associated Press. 21 June 2001. U.N. Approves Vieques Resolution. Excerpts. UNITED NATIONS -- A U.N. committee adopted a Cuban-backed resolution Thursday calling on the United States to expedite independence for Puerto Rico and order an immediate end to U.S. military exercises on the tiny island of Vieques. The resolution, which is not legally binding, was approved without a vote by the 24-member special committee on decolonization issues. Chile expressed reservations about its scope and Papua New Guinea questioned whether the committee had authority to deal with the question of Puerto Rico. Cuba's U.N. Ambassador Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla said the world could not wait for another bomb in Vieques, the site of the U.S. Navy's prized Atlantic Fleet training ground. Puerto Rico is a U.S. commonwealth with limited local government. The 4 million residents of the Spanish-speaking island are U.S. citizens who serve in the armed forces, but they do not pay federal taxes, cannot vote for president, and have no vote in Congress. The resolution adopted Thursday calls on the U.S. government "to assume its responsibility of expediting a process that will allow the Puerto Rican people to fully exercise their inalienable right to self-determination and independence." The resolution urges the U.S. government "to order the immediate halt of its armed forces' military drills and maneuvers on Vieques Island." It calls for the United States to "return the occupied land to the people of Puerto Rico, halt the persecution, incarcerations, arrests and harassment of peaceful demonstrators, immediately release all persons incarcerated in this connection ... and decontaminate the impact areas" in the Vieques bombing range. * * * * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
