viernes, 10 de abril de 2015

Ending Cuba's terror sponsor label faces resistance

Ending Cuba's terror sponsor label faces resistance
Posted: Apr 09, 2015 6:42 AM

HAVANA (CNN) - The Obama administration is moving forward with plans to
remove Cuba from the U.S. State Department list of terrorism sponsors.

That could have big implications for improving relations between the two
nations.

But there is resistance to the White House approach with a lighter touch.

There are no Stars and Stripes over the U.S. Interests Section Mission
in Havana, not yet, that is.

But U.S. officials hope to raise an American flag and reopen the U.S.
Embassy soon, restoring full diplomatic relations with Cuba for the
first time in 54 years.

Among the thorny issues: The U.S. government's classification of Cuba as
a state sponsor of terror.

Cuba was included on the list in 1982, and along with Sudan, Iran and
Syria, faces harsh economic sanctions, hardly a recipe for warmer ties.

"We expressed that it would be difficult to explain that diplomatic
relations have been resumed while Cuba has been unjustly listed as a
state sponsor of international terrorism," said Josefina Vidal, a Cuban
foreign ministry official.

For decades, Cuba supplied safe haven to terrorists and supported
Marxist insurgencies in countries like Colombia, fueling bloody
conflicts that cost the lives of thousands of people.

But in recent years, Cuba has started to clean up its act, and has won
praise for its role hosting peace talks to end the civil war in Colombia.

Despite those changes, Cuba remained on the terror list.

A former U.S. State Department official says the U.S. was playing
politics by blacklisting Cuba.

"For many years we have this specious allegation that Cuba is involved
in sponsoring international terrorism," said Phil Peters of the Cuba
Research Center. "In the past there were certainly problems that
justified Cuba being on that list but for many years there haven't been
so it devalues the U.S.' word when it comes to terrorism."

When President Barack Obama announced the start of a new approach toward
Cuba last year, the U.S. State Department began a process to examine
whether Cuba should be taken off the terror list. Cuba's removal will
likely result in increased international financing for the Cuban
government as well as increased criticism of Obama's new Cuba policy.

"Will we be advocating for Cuba to join these international institutions
that would allow it to give it credit, to continue to oppress the
people?" said U.S. Rep. Illeana Ros-Lehtinen, R-FL.

"We are not advocating for their membership, but we also want to make
sure that at some point it may be useful to have organizations like the
IMF (International Monetary Fund) not give them help, but help them open
their economy," said Assistant Secretary of State Roberta Jacobson.

Many investors were waiting for Cuba to lose the terror designation
before opening their wallets. Now it may be a question of how much the
Cuban government is willing to open in return.

Source: Ending Cuba's terror sponsor label faces resistance - KPLC 7
News, Lake Charles, Louisiana -
http://www.kplctv.com/story/28757080/ending-cubas-terror-sponsor-label-faces-resistance

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