Cuba’s Still A State Sponsor Of Terrorism

As of last night, the State Department has submitted a recommendation to the White House for Cuba to be removed from the State Sponsors of Terrorism List, certifying that Cuba had not provided support for terrorist groups in the past six months. The review was ordered by President Obama in December when he announced his aim to normalize diplomatic relations with Cuba. It is expected that President Obama will remove Cuba from the list before he attends the Summit of the Americas in Panama Friday. Cuba has demanded that it be removed from the list before relations between the US and Cuba can be normalized.

However, Cuba continues to serve as a safe haven for criminal fugitives and terrorists, and maintains close ties with North Korea. Back in 2013, the DPRK ship Chong Chon Gang was stopped and searched at the Panama Canal under suspicion of smuggling, where it was discovered the ship was transporting Cuban weapons of Soviet origin to North Korea. Cuba’s aid to terrorist groups such as FARC, Hezbollah, and the Basque Fatherland of Liberty should not be forgotten, nor should its ties to Iran. At this time, removing Cuba from the list of terror supporters would be an irresponsible move.