[NYTr] Puerto Rico Can't share Benefits of Regional Cooperation Projects Date: Mon, 24 Dec 2007 13:09:01 -0600 (CST) Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit Agencia Cubana de Noticias (ACN) http://ainch.ain.cu/mailman/listinfo/ingles Puerto Rico Can'tt Share Benefits of Regional Cooperation Projects Havana, Dec 24 (acn) The absence of Puerto Rico from the Summit of the Petrocaribe regional energy program, recently held in Cuba, proves the lack of political and economic power that Caribbean country, under the colonial rule of the United States. The statement was made by Puerto Rican independence leader Julio Muriente who regretted his country's absence from its own Caribbean context, in a moment when new economic cooperation projects are being developed. Muriente, who is the president of the Hostosiano National Independence Movement said that Puerto Ricans can not continue to be foreign to their own reality, as a consequence of US colonialism. The independence leader said that although Puerto Rico is not prohibited from purchasing Venezuelan oil, which has not been done yet, there are hurdles that prevent the country from becoming a member of Petrocaribe. Muriente said that such a situation goes against the interests of Puerto Ricans, who can not benefit from the accords reached by sovereign nations. He recalled that the alleged benefits provided to his people by the United States are mere "acquired rights", such as the payment for social security. Puerto Ricans are US citizens, as imposed by the US Congress since 1917, when they were recruited to participate in World War I. Puerto Rico, under commonwealth status since 1952, has no real powers in its relationship to the United States. Washington invaded the Caribbean island in 1898 as part of its war against the fading Spanish empire. Lamentan ausencia de Puerto Rico de su entorno caribeC1o. * ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us Our main website: http://www.blythe.org List Archives: http://blythe-systems.com/pipermail/nytr/ Subscribe: http://blythe-systems.com/mailman/listinfo/nytr =================================================================