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Show L'wiiivm 4tl 111 The Senate last month voted to grant the northern Mariana Islands commonwealth status as a part of the United States-the States-the first territorial expansion of the nation (if finalized) since 1925 when the country acquired Swains Island near American Samoa. (In 1917 the U.S. bought the Virgin Islands from Denmark.) IN 1970 the full Mariana Islands rejected commonwealth common-wealth status with the U.S. but a large group of northern islands in 1975 voted overwhemingly for it. The full Micronesian Congress, representing all the Marianas, the Marshall and Gilbert Islands, is again debating their status and some feel they will soon vote for commonwealth status, reversing revers-ing the 1970 decision. WHILE several steps yet await completion before the action is final (the last is U.N. Security Council approval, but that's not a practical necessity), neces-sity), the proposed annexation wou'd extend direct U.S. authority over a long chain of islands extending northward from Guam. A majority of Senators feel it's necessary the U.S. have control of this area-lest some other power assume it. The U.S. has administered the islands under a trusteeship arrangement since the end of world war II. SENATE opponents felt annexation an-nexation of such a vast Pacific area was taking on too much responsibility. Proponents the Senate vote was 63 to 25-felt 25-felt the nation had no choice if these vast Pacific areas were not to face a very uncertain future. |
