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The move could become a major obstacle to possible efforts by President-elect Joe Biden to ease tensions with Havana.
Placing a country in this category is very detrimental to foreign investment. Such a decision can only be reversed after a formal hearing by the Biden administration, and the process can take several months.
Nine days before the end of his job, the Trump administration emphasized Cuba’s ties to the Colombian rebels under the left-wing Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, as well as the reception in the country of several refugees from the United States.
“We are once again prosecuting the Cuban Government and sending a clear message: Castro [Kastro] the regime must stop supporting international terrorism and destructive activities against US justice, “Pompeo said in a statement referring to former leaders of Communist Island Fidel Castro and his brother Raúl.
“The United States will continue to support the desire of the Cuban people for a democratic government and respect for human rights, including freedom of religion, expression and assembly,” the State Department said in a statement.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez on Monday condemned the Trump administration for “political opportunism.”
“We condemn the hypocritical and cynical designation of Cuba as a pro-terrorism state,” Rodríguez wrote on Twitter.
“American political opportunism is recognized by those who are genuinely concerned about the scourge of terrorism and its victims,” he added.
In 2015, then-President Barack Obama removed Cuba from his “blacklist” of supporters of terrorism, acknowledging that half a century of efforts to isolate the island had failed.
When Trump came to power, he overturned many of Obama’s decisions and imposed sanctions on Venezuela, garnering significant support from voters in Florida.
During the election campaign, Biden promised to change US policy toward the communist island and return at least part of his Obama-era commitments, one of which was to allow Cuban-born Americans to visit loved ones and send them money.
To remove Cuba from the “black list” again, the Secretary of State appointed by Biden should formally examine the proposal and produce a report that shows that Havana has not provided any support to terrorism in the last six months.
The Cuba decision extended a chain of last-minute steps by Pompeo, focusing in Washington on whether Trump should be removed from office over the life-threatening riots on January 6 when presidential supporters invaded the U.S. Capitol. In an attempt to disrupt Biden’s election victory formal confirmation.
Since Saturday, Pompeo has also described a large portion of the Hussite insurgents they control in Yemen as a terrorist group, although humanitarian groups have protested the decision and have also lifted restrictions on US relations with Taiwan.
Currently, the United States considers that three other states support terrorism: Iran, North Korea and Syria. Last year, Trump removed Sudan from the list after the process of transition to democratic governance began, pledging to compensate for previous attacks and agreeing to recognize Israel.
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