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WORLD NEWSTuesday 29 March 2016
Puerto Rico’s Congress rep hopes to amend debt crisis
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico Representatives bill aimed its point of departure nor its The governor spoke shortly and will keep it in place
(AP) — Puerto Rican Gov. at addressing the island’s conclusion can be the as- after Resident Commission- for too long. But he added
Alejandro Garcia Padilla debt crisis. It has been sassination of Puerto Rican er Pedro Pierluisi pledged to that it was vital for Congress
warned over the weekend widely criticized for creat- democracy,” the governor work with Republican and to pass legislation that es-
that he would challenge in ing a fiscal oversight board said. Garcia Padilla said the Democrat lawmakers to tablishes a process for fair
federal courts and before that would have ultimate bill acknowledged Puerto make changes to the draft debt restructuring accords
the “community of nations” authority over budget and Rico’s need for the legal so that the oversight board between Puerto Rico and
any law that he said would fiscal matters, and would authority for an orderly re- it creates supervises rather its creditors that the courts
nullify the U.S. territory’s be immune from supervi- structuring of its debt and than controls the common- can enforce.
Constitution by concen- sion by Puerto Rico’s gover- he expressed confidence wealth government. “If a bill does not become
trating government power nor and the legislature. that its final version will be Puerto Rico’s representa- law, Puerto Rico and its
in a body not elected by “If in exchange for the legal substantially different from tive to Congress said the creditors will almost cer-
the people. faculty for an orderly debt the “discussion draft” that legislation currently pro- tainly go over a cliff — to-
Garcia Padilla was reacting restructuring a supervision will be publicly circulated posed would give too gether — this summer,”
to a draft of a U.S. House of board is necessary, neither next week. much power to the board Pierluisi said.q
Fidel Castro to Obama: We don’t need your ‘presents’
M. WEISSENSTEIN In this Feb. 13, 2016, file photo, Cuba’s leader Fidel Castro meets Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, gaging in an ex-post-facto
Associated Press left, in Havana, Cuba. In a text published on Monday, March 28, 2016, Castro said that “We do not dialogue with the Ameri-
HAVANA (AP) — Fidel Cas- need for the empire to give us anything,” in reference to the recent visit by U.S. President Barack can president with point-
tro responded Monday to Obama to Cuba. ed critiques of perceived
President Barack Obama’s slights and insults, includ-
historic trip to Cuba with (AP Photo/Alex Castro) ing Obama’s failure to give
a long, bristling letter re- credit to indigenous Cu-
counting the history of U.S. omy and political system decades before hand- scriptions of environmental bans and Castro’s prohibi-
aggression against Cuba, without the threat of U.S. ing power to his brother in abuse under the Spaniards tion of racial segregation
writing that “we don’t need interference. 2008, was legendary for and reviews the historical after coming to power in
the empire to give us any Fidel Castro writes of his hours-long, all-encom- roles of Cuban indepen- 1959.
presents.” Obama: “My modest sug- passing speeches. His letter dence heroes Jose Marti, Quoting Obama’s decla-
The 1,500-word letter in gestion is that he reflects reflects that style, present- Antonio Maceo and Maxi- ration that “it is time, now,
state media titled “Brother and doesn’t try to develop ing a sharp contrast with mo Gomez. for us to leave the past
Obama” was Castro’s first theories about Cuban poli- Obama’s tightly focused Castro then goes over cru- behind,” the man who
response to the president’s tics.” speech in Havana. Cas- cial sections of Obama’s shaped Cuba during the
three-day visit last week, in Castro, who led Cuba for tro’s letter opens with de- speech line by line, en- second half of the 20th
which the American presi- century writes that “I imag-
dent said he had come to ine that any one of us ran
bury the two countries’ his- the risk of having a heart
tory of Cold War hostility. attack on hearing these
Obama did not meet with words from the President of
the 89-year-old Fidel Castro the United States.”
on the trip but met several Castro then returns to a
times with his 84-year-old review of a half-century
brother Raul Castro, the of U.S. aggression against
current Cuban president. Cuba. Those events in-
Obama’s visit was intend- clude the decades-long
ed to build irreversible mo- U.S. trade embargo against
mentum behind his open- the island; the 1961 Bay of
ing with Cuba and to con- Pigs attack and the 1976
vince the Cuban people bombing of a Cuban air-
and the Cuban govern- liner backed by exiles who
ment that a half-century of took refuge in the U.S.
U.S. attempts to overthrow He ends with a dig at the
the Communist govern- Obama administration’s
ment had ended, allowing drive to increase business
Cuban to reform its econ- ties with Cuba. q
Haiti lawmakers approve interim leader’s PM nominee
DAVID McFADDEN ed in favor of Enex Jean- veteran presidential ad- government’s No. 2 official after his nomination was first
Associated Press Charles serving as a transi- viser earlier last week after also means a new Provi- announced. The swift ap-
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) tional government’s prime his first choice, economist sional Electoral Council proval of Jean-Charles fol-
— Haiti’s Parliament ap- minister with a 78-1 vote. Fritz Jean, was rejected by can soon start organizing a lowed recent pressure from
proved the interim leader’s Two deputies abstained. a majority of deputies. twice-postponed presiden- international partners and
second nominee for prime The Senate unanimously A prime minister is needed tial and legislative runoff. the United Nations’ special
minister this weekend, tak- ratified Jean-Charles’ pol- to install a new Cabinet “It is with a feeling of a envoy to the country who
ing a critical step toward icy statement. President and is responsible for run- heavy load in an extremely urged them to establish a
concluding postponed Jocelerme Privert chose ning the day-to-day affairs difficult situation that I ac- fully functioning govern-
elections. The lower house the U.S.-educated admin- of the government. The au- cepted the post of prime ment and respect a nego-
Chamber of Deputies vot- istrative law professor and thorization of the caretaker minister,” Jean-Charles said tiated political accord.q
