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Este informe no está disponible en español. EDITORIALThe Hartford CourantA Milestone On Puerto RicoJune 27, 2000 President Clinton's attempt to resolve the difficult issue of Puerto Rico 's political status is unprecedented, and welcome. He has scheduled a conference on Wednesday with congressional leaders, Gov. Pedro J. Rossello and the chiefs of the island's statehood, independence and pro-commonwealth parties. The goal is to devise a mechanism to give Puerto Ricans the opportunity to determine their future. Although the so-called status question has been on the platforms of the national Democratic and Republican parties since 1950, attempts to settle the matter have been unsuccessful. In the most recent effort, a 1998 bill that would have obligated Congress to carry out the results of a plebiscite passed the House by one vote and died in the Senate. Mr. Rossello and Puerto Rico 's legislature held the plebiscite anyway and a majority of voters, faced with a confusing five alternatives including two forms of commonwealth, chose "none of the above." The result underscored the need for a clear and binding referendum sanctioned by Congress, detailing the outcomes with each political option. That seems to be what Mr. Clinton has in mind. Never before has a president taken such a personal interest in Puerto Rico 's affairs. Mr. Clinton has already awarded clemency to a group of Puerto Rican nationalists who were jailed in the 1970s and early 1980s. On another highly controversial matter, he has put in motion a plan that could end nearly 60 years of the U.S. Navy's use of the island of Vieques , Puerto Rico , as a practice site for bombing. This week's grand conference at the White House is a milestone. Agreement among the participants on a process to ask Puerto Ricans what they want and to honor their wishes would be a breakthrough.
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