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Este informe no está disponible en español. M2 PresswireDoD News BriefingJune 1, 2001 Quigley: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, yes. Q: Since the government of Puerto Rico has been notified of the training, the governor has said that she's going to submit a bill in the legislature to have a local referendum, including the option of not one more bomb, which is not what was originally in the directives nor in the defense authorization bill. Does the department feel that this would be a violation of the agreement? Quigley: I'm not going to try to guess what effect a referendum of that sort, that hasn't been held yet, would have on the scheme of things. I don't know, and it would not be very productive to guess at this point. Q: There are already groups that are calling for acts of civil disobedience. In three days of training last week, we had about a hundred -- over a hundred arrests. With a possibility of 18 days of training, there might be even more possibilities of arrests. Is the department taking any measures to guarantee the security of the perimeter, or is the department in contact with the government to see if they will cooperate in providing security? Quigley: I guess yes on both counts is the answer to your question. We will put in the best security procedures that we can to safeguard the perimeter of the live-impact area, particularly, and work with the commonwealth law enforcement authorities to do it in conjunction with their -- with the local law enforcement officials as well. Q: In the past, Navy officials were concerned about the lack of cooperation with the government in spite of their apparent agreement or commitment to cooperate Is security an issue of concern this time around? Quigley: The security is always an issue of concern, and we want to safeguard the safety of the -- we want to safeguard the process of having the training in the first place, but you've got to do it in a safe manner and make sure that no one is placed at risk when you conduct the training. So that's why it is important to keep the perimeter secure, to avoid trespassers and those that would go on to the range and place themselves in danger, place security forces, both U.S. Navy and commonwealth security forces in danger. And that's a big difference to take that action than a peaceful protest action. Big difference. Q: Is the department in consultation with DoJ for their cooperation in security the perimeter? Quigley: The Navy Department probably is. I would refer you to them to confirm that. They have in the past, and I would suspect that process is happening again now. Thank you.
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