HeU.S. government included Cuba in the list ofterrorism sponsoring countries This Monday, the Secretary of State announced,Mike Pompeo.
Donald Trump's administration decided to add Cuba back to the list "after breaking its commitment to stop supporting terrorism as a condition of its elimination by the previous administration in 2015."
"Once again we will hold the Government of Cuba accountable and send a clear message: the Castro regime must end its support for international terrorism and subversion of American justice," Pompeo said ina statement.
The Secretary of State accused Cuba of "repeatedly supporting acts of international terrorism by granting safe harbor to terrorists", and reaffirmed that the Trump administration has always intended to "deny the Castro regime the resources it uses to oppress its people at home and counter its malign interference in Venezuela and the rest of the Western Hemisphere."
The main arguments for the sanction are based on the fact that Cuba continues to harbor American fugitives, including Joanne Chesimard, convicted of killing a New Jersey state police officer in 1973, and for the rejection of an extradition request from Colombia for members of the Liberation Army. National linked to a bombing that killed 22 people in 2019, Pompeo reported.
Cuba had originally been included on the list in 1982 by the Ronald Reagan administration, butIt was eliminated by former President Barack Obama in 2015., during histhaw policy of economic and diplomatic relations between Washington and Havana.
The measure not only reverses Obama's decision, but is Trump's last political move tomake it difficult for President-elect Joe Biden to resume diplomatic and economic ties with the Government of Cuba immediately, after taking office on January 20.
During the Obama era, with Biden as vice president, the United States took a set of measures that eased economic restrictions on Cuba, although lifting the embargo required an act of Congress.
In his four years in office, Trump has reversed these measures and taken others to suffocate the island's government. Likewise, he has made it clear that Cuba's economy continues to be strongly controlled by the government and the military, and does not benefit the people.
His harsh policy against Cuba gave Trump great popularity among Cubans in Miami and, although he did not win the county with the largest concentration of that community in Florida during the November 3 elections, he did manage to shorten the difference with respect to the elections. previous and win the state.
Your administrationhad already announced that it intended to return Cuba to the list of countries that sponsor terrorism. In May, the State Department included Cuba in a previous category:countries that did not fully cooperate with counterterrorism efforts.
According to the State Department, state sponsors of terrorism are countries that have "repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism." Also on the list are North Korea, Iran and Syria.
Biden has indicated on several occasions that he intends to revive the Obama administration's policy towards Cuba, mainly remittances and travel restrictions. In November, Biden said inexclusive interview withCyberCuba that empowering the Cuban people will be the pillar of his policy towards Cuba.
"Limitations on remittances only harm Cuban families," the president-elect warned during the interview, and noted that he intends to open the Cuban Family Reunification Permit Program and the Cuban refugee program as soon as possible.
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