World Acknowledges Withdrawal of Cuba from Terrorism List

Bolivian President Evo Morales assured Tuesday that Cuba has never been a terrorist country, and has been, on the contrary, a very solidary nation with all the countries in the world, so there’s no reason for which Cuba should be included in any list of terrorist nations.

“If the US government has included Cuba in the list of terrorist countries, it has made a mistake,” said Morales in a press release.

“For me, the only terrorist country is the US. The inclusion of Cuba is a policy of arrogance. If he decided to take Cuba out, we salute such a gesture,” said the Bolivian President.

He referred to the process of normalization of relations between the US and Cuba and Venezuela and considered that there is an open intention of wanting to divide the countries of the Bolivarian Alliance.

For the indigenous leader if US President Barack Obama, wants to help Cuba, as he said in Panama, “one has to pay damages to the economic blockade”.

 

Removal of Cuba from Terrorism List a Crucial Step

The decision to remove Cuba from the US list of nations that sponsor terrorism is a crucial step in Obama’s effort to turn the page on a Cold War-era dispute, highlighted the media today.

The New York Times daily in its article says that the decision eliminates an important obstacle for re-establish diplomatic relations between both nations after decades of hostilities.

Cuba was in the terrorism list for more than 30 years, since President Ronald Reagan included it in 1982, step that affected its access to the financial markets, and more recently was a point of friction in negotiations to re-open embassies in both countries.

The White House’ decision will not become effective until after a 45-day period of study by the Congress, which could approve a joint resolution to block the removal, to which Obama has the right to veto.

According to the Times, the Washington’s isolation policy on Cuba, chiefly the US blockade of the Island, is a constant source of hostility with Latin America, joining the governments of the entire region, regardless of the ideology.

For its part, the online The Hill daily reported that senator Jeff Flake (R-Arizona), backs relations with Havana, and welcomed Obama’s decision.

Meanwhile, The Washington Post daily reveals that Obama’s decision was expected after his meeting with Cuban President Raul Castro at the 7th Summit of the Americas in Panama.

The Post quotes government top officials who said that the review including consultations with the intelligence community, as well as Cuban government’s guarantees.

The daily also cited US officials as saying that the full normalization of US relations with Cuba, which would include the lift of sanctions on Havana by the Congress, could take years.

 

China Welcomes Cuba‘s Withdrawal of Terrorism Sponsor List

China welcomed today the decision of US President Barack Obama to withdraw Cuba from the list of countries sponsors of terrorism while praising the efforts of the two countries to boost normalization of their relations.

During his regular meeting with the media settled in Beijing, the spokesperson Hong Lei highlighted China’s permanent support for the lift of all US sanctions against Cuba.

Hong said that ties between the United States and Cuba are based on the willingness of the two countries, as well as peace, stability and development in the region.

President Obama sent a message yesterday to the Congress asserting his decision to withdraw Cuba from that list and the Congress has 45 days to review the request before it can be officially passed.

Meanwhile, the Cuban Government described Obama’s decision as fair and said that Cuba should have never been included in that list.

A statement issued by Cuban Foreign Ministry said that Cuba has suffered the consequences of thousands of terrorist actions, which have claimed the lives of 3,478 Cubans while leaving 2,099 differently abled people.

 

Russian Press: Cuba Excluded From List of Terrorists

Russian news media report today of the rectification by the United States, made by excluding Cuba from the list of “States sponsors of terrorism”.

The Sputnik multimedia portal highlights the recognition of the Cuban government of the decision taken by US President Barack Obama, to remove the island from that list, as per declarations made by Josefina Vidal, director general of the United States in the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Relations.

‘A list it should never have been included in, because our country has been the victim of hundreds of terrorist acts that have claimed the lives of 3.478 people, and incapacitated 2.099 Cuban citizens’ adds Sputnik quoting the note circulated to the press in Havana.

The Novosti news agency reported, according to Vidal’s statement, that Cuba rejects and condemns all acts of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, as well as any action that is intended to instigate, support, finance or conceal such actions.

Novosti reiterates that Obama issued the ‘Certification of termination of the appointment of Cuba as a State sponsor of terrorism’ category in which Washington kept the island since 1982 as a pretext to justify the implementation of its economic, commercial and financial blockade.

The Russian global television broadcaster RT, meanwhile, said that Obama made the decision after the US State Department studied the presence of Cuba in that relationship.

According to sources, starting this moment the US Congress has 45 days to make a pronunciation on the rectification of Washington.