Cuba No Longer on U.S. List of States Sponsoring Terrorism

HAVANA, Cuba, May 30 (acn) The U.S. government removed Cuba from the list of states sponsoring international terrorism, according to an official note by the State Department.

The spokesman of the U.S. State Department, Jeff Rathke, pointed out in an official note that "the 45-day notification to Congress expired and the Secretary of State made the final decision of terminating the designation of Cuba as a State Sponsor of Terrorism, which becomes effective today, May 29."

The list is made unilaterally by Washington, and Cuba was included in it since 1982
The note specifies that the United States has concerns and differences with Havana, but that no relevant criteria to maintain that policy exist and the action reflects the U.S. conviction that Cuba meets the criteria for its exclusion.
Since the beginning of talks in January for the reestablishment of diplomatic relations with the United States, Cuba always said that its removal from the list of states sponsoring terrorism was a matter of elementary justice, since the island should had never been in it.
This action, together with the financial solution for the Cuba Interests Section in Washington, which for more than a year lacked a bank for its operations, were two of the interests of the Cuban side for the reestablishment of diplomatic bonds and the opening of embassies.
However, the reestablishment of bonds is only the first part of the long process of normalization of relations between the two countries, broken for over half a century now.
For Cuba, the normalization of ties with the United States goes through the lifting of the blockade Washington maintains against Havana, the return of the territory occupied by the Guantanamo Naval Base, the cessation of the illegal radio and television broadcasts, and compensation for the damages caused by the economic measures.
To be effective, the decision requires its publication in the Federal Register, the U.S. official newspaper, although the diplomatic office assured the decision becomes effective immediately.