Puerto Rican jurist Ángel R. Oquendo, a professor of law and philosophy at the University of Connecticut, said a proposal to eliminate the United Nations Decolonization Committee should not succeed and represents a new attack on the body by the administration of Donald Trump. The idea was raised by US deputy ambassador Tammy Bruce, who argued the committee has already fulfilled its purpose.
"The chances are nil... I would be surprised if it got any support," he said, adding that rights without infrastructure practically do not exist.
Oquendo, whose academic work covers constitutional law, international law, comparative law and legal theory, called the proposal "descabellada" (reckless) and said it comes from an administration not "interested in international law." He said it attacks one of the most basic principles of international law, the right of peoples to self-determination, though he considered it unlikely to prosper.
"The chances are nil... I would be surprised if it got any support," he said, adding that rights without infrastructure practically do not exist. According to the UN website, 24 territories fall under the committee, including US territories Guam, American Samoa and the US Virgin Islands.
Puerto Rico is the subject of annual resolutions reaffirming its right to self-determination and independence. Oquendo said many countries achieved self-determination through processes involving the committee, that international law processes are slow, and that US disinterest aggravates Puerto Rico’s status issue, with Washington avoiding binding remedies. Interviewed by videoconference from Germany, he said the proposal has stirred debate in Puerto Rico and Argentina, where the committee keeps alive its claim to the Malvinas, or Falkland Islands, under British control. He said the Trump administration may simply forget the initiative.