UN Decolonization Cttee to Discuss Puerto Rico Independence

UN Decolonization Cttee to Discuss Puerto Rico IndependenceUnited Nations, Jun 20. -The inalienable right of the Puerto Rican people to self-determination and independence will be the focus of the UN special committee on decolonization on Monday.

This debate comes one year after the committee issued a statement saying that the "Puerto Rican people constitute a Latin American and Caribbean nation that has its own, unmistakable national identity."

That statement was backed by Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, Nicaragua and Venezuela, and was the basis of their arguments under General Assembly Resolution 1514, known as the declaration on the granting of independence to colonial countries and peoples.

The committee urged the United States government to take responsibility in helping take forward a process for the Puerto Rican people to fully exercise their inalienable right to self-determination and independence.

It also highlighted the broad support for that goal from prominent figures, governments and political forces in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Any initiative on resolving Puerto Ricoâ�Ös political status should be made by the people of Puerto Rico, the statement said, calling for the investigation of actions against pro-independence activists.

The text also called for the U.S. government to completely return to the Puerto Rican people all previously occupied land and facilities in Vieques and Ceiba, in addition to other measures.

July 25 marks 113 years since the United States invaded Puerto Rico. (Prensa Latina)