A senior Cuban official responded by saying the move was to be hypocritical and “political opportunities.”
The Trump administration’s decision comes days before the founding of Biden, who has pledged Obama’s efforts to revive at a rapprochement between the two Cold War enemies.
Cuba goes back with just three other countries on the list of terrorist state supporters – Iran, North Korea and Syria. Sudan was recently ousted as part of its agreement to normalize ties with Israel.
Pompeo said that “(f) or decades, the Cuban government has provided food, housing, and medical care to murderers, bombers, and kidnappers” and “harbored several U.S. refugees from undermining justice. sought or convicted for allegations of political violence, many of whom have lived in Cuba for decades, “he said.
The administration has not provided any evidence that Cuba has supported terrorist attacks.
The U.S. justification for adding Cuba to its list underscores Havana’s connection to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s government, and reiterates claims that Cuba is harboring 1970s American radicals, most of them are now former citizens. He avoids the fact that Cuba played an important role in ending the civil war in Colombia, and the Obama administration praised the communist-run island.
The appointment is the result of Trump’s harsh stance on Cuba – a situation that was widely welcomed by Cuban Americans and other voters in Florida, but which undermined Obama’s efforts to move away from the two countries ’tensions in the 20th century.
Move criticism with diplomats
Cuba was removed from state supporters of a 2015 terrorist list amid Obama’s efforts to restore ties between Washington and Havana. The Reagan administration designated Cuba in 1982, accusing the Castro government of supporting communist groups in Latin America and Africa.
Bruno Rodríguez, Parrilla, Cuban Foreign Minister, tweeted on Monday: “We criticize the hypocritical and sinical designation of #Cuba as a state supporter of terrorism, which has been declared by the US. The political potential of this action has been recognized by its all those who have an honest concern about the terrorist situation and their victims. “
While the assignment is likely to be overturned by the incoming Biden administration, the diplomat said it could “seriously damage our credibility on state support for terrorism.”
Being placed on the list of terrorist supporters imposes restrictions on U.S. foreign aid, a ban on defense exports and sales and imposes specific export controls and various financial restrictions. It can also punish any people and countries engaged in certain trade activity with Cuba.
However, William LeoGrande, a Latin American expert and professor at the University of America, told CNN that the designation would have little practical impact as Cuba is already under extensive U.S. financial sanctions.
“Almost all sanctions suffered by a country from being on the terrorist list have already been imposed on Cuba as part of the wider embargo,” he said.
“The only real difference is that being on the terrorist list makes a vulnerable state to be blamed by private individuals for the impact of so-called terrorist acts. You lose sovereign protection if you on the insurgency list. “