US Removes Cuba From List of Countries Not Cooperating Against Terrorism
The State Department last week removed Cuba from its list of countries that aren’t cooperating fully with U.S. counterterrorism efforts, an agency spokesperson told reporters May 16. The spokesperson said several recent actions by Cuba -- including the fact that it resumed “law enforcement cooperation” with the U.S. on antiterrorism efforts in 2023 -- led the State Department to remove the country from the list.
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“[W]e’ve determined that Cuba’s continued certification as a not fully cooperating country was no longer appropriate,” the spokesperson said. Aside from Cuba, the State Department last year listed North Korea, Iran, Syria and Venezuela as the countries that weren’t cooperating with U.S. antiterrorism efforts (see 2305220022). Because of their status on the list, those countries aren’t eligible to receive certain defense exports from the U.S.
The spokesperson stressed that Cuba is still designated by the U.S. as a state sponsor of terrorism, which subjects it to certain sanctions and trade restrictions, and Cuba “remains subject to an incredibly comprehensive embargo.”
The spokesperson said that even though Cuba is cooperating on counterterrorism, “we still believe that there are actions that they are undertaking that” support terrorist activities. “I’m not going to get into those specifically from up here,” the spokesperson said, adding that the U.S. will continue to evaluate Cuba’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism “based on the law and the criteria established by Congress.”
Several congressional Republicans criticized the State Department's decision. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., called it “appeasement” of an “illegitimate, communist” regime and said it could pave the way for the Biden administration to remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism. He called for passage of his Fighting Oppression until the Reign of Castro Ends (FORCE) Act, which would block Cuba’s removal from the state sponsor of terrorism list.