U.S. Takes Cuba Off List Of State Sponsors Of Terrorism
Source: Washington Post
By Carol Morello May 29 at 11:49 AM
The United States has taken Cuba off the list of state sponsors of terrorism, a step that authorities in Havana had insisted upon in advance of the reopening of embassies.
U.S. Secretary of State John F. Kerry signed the order Friday, 45 days after the Obama administration informed Congress that it would remove Cuba from the list. The State Department determined Cuba had not supported international terrorism in the previous six months, a requirement for getting off the list that now holds only three names — Iran, Syria and Sudan. Cuba had been on it since 1982.
“While the United States has significant concerns and disagreements with a wide range of Cuba’s policies and actions, these fall outside the criteria relevant to the rescission of a State Sponsor of Terrorism designation,” said Jeff Rathke, a spokesman for the State Department.
Removing the terror designation lifts some trade barriers against Cuba, but an overall embargo remains in effect and requires a congressional vote to reverse it. President Obama has said he hopes to work with Congress to get the embargo lifted.
Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-takes-cuba-off-list-of-state-sponsors-of-terrorism/2015/05/29/d718493a-0618-11e5-8bda-c7b4e9a8f7ac_story.html
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