SLP, Mexico.- The Counterterrorism Bureau of the United States Department of State, in its most recent report, published this Thursday, maintains Cuba as country sponsoring terrorism.
He Country Report on Terrorism (CRT) argues that Cuba continues to harbor several American fugitives from justice wanted on charges related to political violence, many of whom have been residing in Cuba for decades.
Cuba, which is on this list along with North Korea, Iran and Syria, is one of the countries that Washington accuses of giving “repeated support to acts of terrorism international”.
Among the reasons inserted in the section on Cuba, the report points out that the Caribbean country has a long history “of providing advice, safe haven, communications, training and financial support to guerrilla groups and individual terrorists,” which is why it was initially proposed for inclusion in 1982.
Cuba’s designation was rescinded in 2015 after a comprehensive review determined that the country met the criteria to withdraw it.
Later, in 2021, the Secretary of State determined that the Island had repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism in the six years since the revocation of its designation.
Among the reasons given, they alleged that Cuba rejected Colombia’s request to extradite 10 leaders of the National Liberation Army (ELN) who lived in Havana after that group claimed responsibility for the 2019 attack against a police academy in Bogotá. in which 22 people died and another 87 were injured.
“The Cuban government did not respond formally to the requests of extradition of ELN leaders Víctor Orlando Cubides (alias ‘Pablo Tejada’) and Ramírez Pineda (alias ‘Pablo Beltrán’) presented by Colombia, the text cites.
Removing Cuba from the state sponsor of terrorism list would be a dangerous mistake.
It would also be dishonest. Cuba’s brutal dictatorship provides safe haven and support to terrorists.
— Mike Pompeo (@mikepompeo) November 26, 2024
The report on Cuba also points out that in November 2022, in accordance with an order from Colombian President Petro, the United States attorney general announced that arrest warrants against 17 ELN commanders would be suspended, including those whose extradition Colombia had previously requested. . In May 2023, the Colombian government and the ELN convened the third round of peace talks between Colombia and the ELN in Cuba. However, Cuba continues to contribute to the granting of aid to terrorists, the text highlights.
The appearance of Cuba on this list as a State sponsor of terrorism entails a series of sanctions, among which the prohibition of export and arms sales; controls on exports of dual-use products, which require 30 days’ advance notification to Congress for goods or services that could significantly enhance the terrorist country’s military capabilities or its ability to support terrorism.
There are also restrictions on US foreign aid, increased visa requirements, and various financial and other restrictions.
The release of the report comes a day after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken would affirm that Washington’s policy towards the Cuban regime will not change during President Joe Biden’s remaining time in the White House.
Blinken’s statements came during a hearing of the Congressional Foreign Relations Committee in which Cuban-American Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar asked him directly if Cuba was under consideration to be removed from the list of countries sponsoring terrorism.
In response, the Secretary of State reiterated: “I do not foresee any changes to our policy between now and January 20.”
In May of this year, Washington removed Cuba from the list of countries that do not fully cooperate in the fight against terrorisma minor gesture compared to the impact of remaining on the main list of sponsors of terrorism.
On that occasion, Blinken assured that Cuba’s departure from said list was due to the fact that the Colombian Government, chaired by Gustavo Petrohad suspended the extradition orders on the members of the guerrilla of the National Liberation Army (ELN) who were on the Island.
Furthermore, he justified that the Government of Joe Biden had “resumped police cooperation with Cuba as part of the national interest” of the US.
