US officials wrangle over Guam's territorial status

Washington, March 12 Officials from Guam, an unincorporated territory of the United States in the western Pacific Ocean, have slammed a Congresswoman over her assertion that the island is a foreign land, according to media reports.

Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greeneo has been heavily criticized for embracing conspiracy theories since her speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference last month was posted online suggesting Guam is a foreign country that doesn't deserve aid, reports Xinhua news agency.

"I wanted to take my regular, normal person, normal, everyday American values, which is: We love our country. We believe our hard-earned tax dollars should just go for America," Greene had on February 27, who excluded Guam from US territories in her speech.

Michael San Nicolas, the delegate to the US House of Representatives for Guam's at-large congressional district, told local media on Thursday that his staff would pay a visit to Greene's office and deliver some local cookies to remind her that the island is part of the country.

The office of Guam's Governor Lourdes Aflague Leon Guerrero also offered educational resources to Greene.

"We would be more than happy to send Representative Greene's office a copy of 'Destiny's Landfall: A History of Guam'," Krystal Paco-San Agustin, the director of communications for the governor, told the Guam Daily Post newspaper.

Telena Nelson, a Democratic senator in the 34th Guam Legislature, said the comments made by a Greene were "appalling".

( With inputs from IANS )