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Para ver este documento en español, oprima aquí. STATUS UPDATERossello: Status Definition Mechanism May Be Decided This YearFarrow Confirms White House Status Talks May Begin SoonRossello Heads To Washington Next WeekRossello: Status Definition Mechanism May Be Decided This Year May 23, 2000 SAN JUAN (AP) — Gov. Pedro Rossello said the process to resolve Puerto Rico’s political status is on track and he expects that efforts to define the mechanism to be used to that end will start this year. He said this process began after the 1998 plebiscite. "Anybody concerned about where education is headed should be worried about status. Anybody worried about where health is headed, should be worried about status. The situation of these areas depend on the status that is selected," Rossello said. Rossello could not say whether political party presidents will be involved in the consultation process with the White House. The governor made his statements in response to White House aide Jeffrey Farrow, who said the process to solve the island’s political status could begin this year. Farrow Confirms White House Status Talks May Begin Soon May 23, 2000 SAN JUAN (AP) — White House aide on Puerto Rico Jeffrey Farrow said the invitation to Puerto Rican political leaders to establish a dialogue with the White House on the island’s political status could begin "very soon." Farrow said the Vieques issue, the release of pro-independence prisoners and the release of federal documents on political persecution on the island have created an urgency to solve the island’s political status. "President Clinton interpreted the majority results in favor of ‘none of the above’ in the [1998] referendum as a message by the Puerto Ricans that they’re not happy with their current status," Farrow said. "That’s why Clinton is committed to clarifying the status options." He said the Vieques issue has shown that one of the points that needs to be clarified is that of common defense, because "many Puerto Ricans are dissatisfied with the obligations to the U.S. nation in which they have no decision-making power," according to published reports. Rossello Heads To Washington Next Week May 25, 2000 SAN JUAN (AP) - Gov. Pedro Rossello will travel to Washington next week to meet with U.S. senators in an effort to speed up the presidential directives on Vieques in the Senate, according to published reports. The U.S. Senate will be in recess next week and any actions regarding the presidential agreement are not expected until June. Rossello's agenda may include political issues regarding the U.S. Democratic Party. Efforts to boost discussion on Puerto Rico's political status during this election year haven't been ruled out, the published reports said. The governor will arrive Monday night and is expected to return to Puerto Rico Thursday.
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