TheEquivalencePrincipletheCovariancePrincipleandtheQuestionofSelf-ConsistencyinGeneralRelativityC.Y.LoAppliedandPureResearchInstitute17NewcastleDriveNashuaNH03060USASeptember2001AbstractTheequivalenceprinciplewhichstatesthelocalequivalencebetweenaccelerationandgravityrequiresthatafreefallingobservermustresultinaco-movinglocalMinkowskispace.OntheotherhandcovarianceprincipleassumesanyGaussiansystemtobevalidasaspace-timecoordinatesystem.Giventhemathematicalexistenceoft