The US has put Cuba back on the US terrorist list. “With this measure we will again hold the Cuban government accountable and send a clear message: The Castro regime must end its support for international terrorism and the infiltration of the US judiciary,” said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
The reason for the classification was given by his ministry that the Cuban leadership is displaying “a number of malicious behavior in the region” – particularly with regard to Venezuela. The government has supported Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in maintaining his “stranglehold” on his people and created a “permissive” environment for international terrorists.
Donald Trump’s Secretary of State Mike Pompeo justified the decision
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In general, Pompeo raised serious allegations against the Cuban leadership. For decades the government in Havana has “fed and sheltered” murderers, bomb-builders and kidnappers and given them medical care while many Cubans are starving, homeless and lacking essentials, he complained.
Mortgage on Joe Biden’s work
The US State Department move is widely seen as a political maneuver prior to the change in power in Washington. The practical consequences are unclear because many of the measures associated with the classification have been in place for decades through the US sanctions against the socialist Caribbean state.
Nevertheless, the move is likely to complicate the efforts of the future administration of President Joe Biden to resume the rapprochement between the neighboring states initiated by Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama. In 2015, after 33 years, the Obama administration removed Cuba from the list of states supporting terrorism issued by the US State Department.
Street scene in Havana – in the background two idols of socialism: Hugo Chavez and “Che” Guevara
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Under President Trump, relations between the United States and Cuba had suddenly deteriorated again. Washington withdrew most of its diplomatic staff from the embassy after alleged sound wave attacks on embassy staff in Havana.
Iran, Syria and North Korea are also currently on the US list. The list means that US development aid, arms exports and certain financial transactions are restricted for the respective countries. Sudan was recently removed from the list.
qu / wa (dpa, afp, rtr)
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