Plea for Statehood, Strike Mark Fourth

Puerto Rico marked the Fourth of July with protests and a plea by the governor for statehood for the U.S. commonwealth. Gov. Pedro Rossello said it is time for the United States to make Puerto Rico a full partner. In three weeks, the island will mark the 100th anniversary of the landing of U.S. troops on its soil. Tensions were higher than usual as employees of the Puerto Rico Telephone Co. began their 16th day on strike to protest Rossello’s plans to sell a controlling interest in the government-owned company. Also, protesters gathered in front of U.S. military bases to call for independence and to criticize the U.S. military’s control of two-thirds of the small offshore island of Vieques.