Islands, federal and congressional oversight and authority in local matters, and representation of the people of the Virgin Islands in the U.S. Congress." Virgin Island leaders do not view the current status initiative strictly as a means of political evolution. They see the legislature's efforts as a means to address constraints to the islands’ economic development. The proposed "Compact of Federal Relations" is intended to maintain existing economic benefits seeking a and way to secure others. to resolve Thus, outstanding the Virgin problems and Islands remove is the degree of uncertainty in its relationship with the U.S. government. ‘ : American Samoa and NMI American Samoa and the NMI are not seeking political relationship with the United States. to change their American Samoa currently supports its status as an unincorporated, unorganized territory. Its leaders said their primary political objective is to preserve and maintain the Samoan way of life and land tenure system, which they believe could be threatened by changes i in political status with the United States. The NMI terms of its trusteeship relationship will formally be granted commonwealth status under negotiated covenant with the United States when the is ended. The covenant establishes a more defined with the United States, including a financial and economic assiStance package and creation of a laws commission to study NMI. U.S. laws to determine whether they should apply to the NMI officials are generally satisfied with this arrange- ment and are currently negotiating with the U.S. over new finan- cial arrangements once the initial 7-year agreement ends in 1985. However, they expressed hope that the new status and the NMI laws commission will help resolve some outstanding problems with the federal government, especially in tax and economic areas. (See ch. 5.) RECENT FEDERAL EFFORTS TO CLARIFY TERRITORIAL POLICY In 1979, the Carter administration began a study of U.S. territory policy. Its objective was to identify major problems in federal-territorial relations, and to set forth a series of actions to remedy them. The study resulted in a February 1980 presidential statement which reaffirmed the basic principle of self-determination and established a policy framework to improve the federal-territory relationship. did The 1980 policy statement was criticized by some because it not torial 2008221 include concerns. Puerto Rico or Nevertheless, adequately convey the 14 statement many pointed terri- out that : ‘