US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday removed Cuba’s communist regime from the State Department’s list of countries “not fully cooperating” with counterterrorism efforts.
In a statement reportedly sent to U.S. members of Congress and the media, Secretary Blinken said Cuba’s addition to the list comes as Cuban and U.S. law enforcement officials are once again cooperating on counterterrorism and other related efforts. “It was deemed no longer appropriate,” he said. ”
A US State Department official said, “The department has determined that the circumstances that qualify Cuba as a ‘non-fully cooperating country’ have changed from 2022 to 2023.” Said.
Martí Noticias, a U.S. news organization focused on Cuba, report The country announced Wednesday that it had obtained access to a copy of a statement claiming that North Korea, Iran, Syria and Venezuela remain on a list of countries that do not fully cooperate with U.S. counterterrorism efforts.
The memo reportedly removed Cuba from the list of countries “not fully cooperating” in the fight against terrorism, but Cuba remains a top sponsor of terrorism, along with Iran, Syria, and North Korea. He emphasized that it remains on the official list of the country (SST).
“The law establishes specific legal criteria for revoking the designation of an SST,” the statement reportedly said. “The review of Cuba’s status on the SST list will be based on criteria established by law and Congress.”
Cuba Appeared It was on the SST list from 1982 to 2015 before being redesignated, but was removed during former President Barack Obama’s pro-Castro administration.
America during the administration of former President Donald Trump Designated Cuba announced its support for terrorism in January 2021 due to the Castro regime’s deep ties to international terrorist organizations such as Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), the Shiite jihadist group Hezbollah, the Colombian National Liberation Army (ELN), and the Revolutionary Army. designated by the nation. Marxist terrorist organization in Colombia (FARC).
The communist Castro regime also maintains ties with the Sunni jihadist terrorist organization Hamas.Hamas terrorist met In February 2023, he met with Cuba’s special envoy to Lebanon, and in response to the unprecedented attack on the country by Hamas on October 7, which left more than 1,200 people dead and hundreds taken hostage, the government openly condemned Israel.
Like other far-left Latin American regimes and governments, the Castro regime accused Israel commits ‘genocide’ in self-defense operation against Hamas, but does not explicitly condemn it genocidal Hamas’ goal is to destroy the state of Israel and its people.
#CubaThe Indiscriminate Jam Serum Before the Crime, The World of Palestine and Exhibition Apoyo Al Jornada in the Final Days of Israel’s Genocide #Gaza.
Busta de brurtidad, busta de abso, busta de impunidad!#freepalestine#ShutItDown4Palestine pic.twitter.com/UEiVhoxUah
— Miguel Diaz Canel Bermudez (@DiazCanelB) March 1, 2024
The Castro regime held There have been several pro-Hamas events in the past few months.More recently, the communist regime tidy The LGBT “conga against homophobia” that supports Hamas ignores Cuba and Hamas’s notorious track record of suppressing gay rights. The event was led by Mariela Castro, the daughter of Cuba’s 90-year-old dictator Raul Castro.
Last week’s report published by ADN America said several far-left activists leading and inciting pro-Hamas protests across U.S. college campuses are receiving support and training from Cuba.
Some activists, including Manolo de los Santos, executive director of the far-left organization People’s Forum, traveled to Havana and met privately with President Miguel Díaz-Canel, a figurehead of the Castro regime.
William Leogrande, a professor at American University in Washington, Said “This move by the Biden administration is likely to be a prelude to the State Department considering designating Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism,” Reuters reported on Wednesday.
Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla responded to a social media post by Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) calling for Cuba to be removed from the list of state sponsors of terrorism. He expressed his gratitude for the efforts of U.S. lawmakers to remove the law. He urged Biden to remove Cuba from the list. ”
“Our inclusion on this false list is another way to maintain criminal penalties against Cuban citizens,” the message said.
EEUU presidential election will determine President Biden’s term #Cuba De Risto de Estados Patrocinadores del Terrorism.
Criminals View the list of criminals in Castigo Sobre El Pueblo Cubano. https://t.co/2wbdCujLZt
— Bruno Rodriguez P (@BrunoRguezP) May 16, 2024
In February, Rep. Jayapal, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota) and Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) secretly met. traveled He will travel to Cuba to “meet with people from across Cuban civil society and government officials to discuss human rights and bilateral relations between our two countries.”
The Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued the following statement: statement It noted Wednesday night that Cuba had been removed from the list of countries that do not fully cooperate with U.S. counterterrorism efforts. In a statement, Castro’s government called for Cuba to be removed from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, calling it a “totally one-sided and baseless list whose sole purpose is to defame, coercive and “It only serves as an excuse to adopt economic measures.” Sovereign States, etc., which was applied ruthlessly against Cuba. ”
“The clear and absolute truth is that Cuba does not support terrorism, but it is a victim of terrorism, including state terrorism,” the statement said.
The statement concluded by asserting that it is “not enough” to acknowledge that Cuba is “fully cooperating with the United States,” but that it is also cooperating “with the entire international community.”
Christian K. Caruso is a Venezuelan writer who chronicles life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.
