Puerto Rico governor dismayed at U.S. attitude toward island

Puerto Rican Governor Alejandro Garcia said here Saturday if Washington does not take actions regarding his island' s current economic crisis, his government will be forced to turn to the United Nations to once again become a "colonized territory".

"Recent actions by Washington indicate the U.S. is diminishing Puerto Rico' s government. If that is, we will go to the UN to be included again as a colonized territory," said Garcia to reporters after a visit to the press center of the VII summit of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS).

According to the governor, the U.S. Congress is set to vote about the island' s capacity to restructure its debt, which amounts to more than 70 billion U.S. dollars, as well as for the creation of an economic council that could take political and economic decisions without consulting San Juan.

"Congress has started this initiative, due to a lack of knowledge rather than lack of political will," said the official.

In 1953, the UN decided Puerto Rico was not a colonized territory. However, the island' s current political status as a U.S. commonwealth limits the autonomy of its government.

"To prevent a humanitarian crisis, we need to restructure the debt, but it must be done in consultation with the Puerto Rican government and its people," he stated.

Garcia is the first ever sitting Puerto Rican governor to visit Cuba and he expressed San Juan' s will to strengthen economic, cultural and social cooperation with Havana.

"I met with President Castro today. We agreed to open a Puerto Rico commercial office in Havana and I believe cultural exchanges and trade will boost our relations," he said.

Regarding Puerto Rico potentially becoming an independent nation, Garcia said this is a decision Puerto Ricans would have to make in the future. Enditem