Biden administration seeking to delist Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism - AP
Photo: US President Joe Biden (Getty Images)
The administration of the current US President Joe Biden plans to remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism. This will occur as part of an agreement reached with the help of the Catholic Church regarding the release of political prisoners on the island, according to the Associated Press.
As a representative of the Biden administration told the agency, the US government may make the announcement today, January 14.
At the same time, the AP notes that Cuba could return to the list next week after the inauguration of the elected US President Donald Trump, as the nominee for US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, is a staunch advocate of restrictive measures against the island nation.
US-Cuba relations
The United States severed diplomatic ties with Cuba in 1961 in response to the nationalization of American property on the island, after which they announced the imposition of a trade and economic embargo.
In December 2014, then-President Barack Obama acknowledged that the former US policy toward Havana was ineffective and announced the beginning of a movement toward normalizing bilateral relations, as well as easing sanctions.
In 2015, the Obama administration announced the removal of Cuba from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism.
The rapprochement between the two countries stalled after Republican Donald Trump took office in January 2017. He tightened rules on US citizens' travel to Cuba and imposed a ban on doing business with organizations controlled by the Cuban military.
The Trump administration also reinstated Cuba on the list of state sponsors of terrorism.
At the same time, the administration of Joe Biden has repeatedly stated that it would review its policy toward Cuba but has yet to remove the country from this list. Biden even decided to maintain the sanctions imposed on Cuba by Trump.
