The president of the United States, Joe Biden, removed Cuba from the list of countries that promote terrorism on Tuesday, less than a week after being relieved by Donald Trump, who in his first term placed the island on that list that entails severe sanctions.
Biden made this decision to promote the soon release of several Cuban prisoners as part of a process that is mediated by the Vatican, senior officials of the US Administration informed the press.
The outgoing president also suspended the ability of US citizens to sue in US courts for the expropriation of their properties in Cuba and lifted some financial sanctions.
As a result of these actions, the White House anticipated that “in a relatively short time” there will be the release of a “significant” number of prisoners in Cuba, including people who participated in the protests of July 11, 2021.
Sources from the Biden Administration explained that they have received requests in recent years from several partners, such as the European Union (EU), Spain, Brazil, Colombia, Chile and Canada, to remove Cuba from the list of countries that promote terrorism. .
The inclusion of Cuba on the list in January 2021 was one of the last decisions that Republican Donald Trump made before leaving power in his first term.
The United States then justified the measure by referring to the presence on the island of members of the Colombian guerrilla of the National Liberation Army (ELN), who traveled to Havana to begin peace negotiations with the Government of Colombia.
This designation implies a ban on arms sales with that country, greater control of its exports, restrictions on foreign aid, greater visa requirements and various economic sanctions.
Cuba had been part of the list since 1982 but left in 2015, during the rapprochement stage promoted by the then US president Barack Obama (2009-2017) and stopped by Trump, who during his term redoubled the sanctions on Havana and stopped the “thaw”.
The outgoing Biden Administration has made some gestures towards the island, such as the elimination of the remittance limit for Cuba, but had until now kept Cuba on that list.
Cuban President Miguel Días-Canel repeatedly demanded that Washington remove his country from the list, whose inclusion he considers unjustified and has serious economic implications for the island.
Biden made this announcement a few days before the new Trump Administration takes office on January 20, who has nominated Marco Rubio, a senator of Cuban origin and supporter of the hard line against Havana, as Secretary of State.
With Cuba’s removal from the list, the only states that remain designated by the United States Department of State as promoters of terrorism are North Korea, Iran and Syria.
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