The Trump administration has put Cuba again on the US listing of state sponsors of terrorism, the newest in a collection of hawkish diplomatic steps taken simply days earlier than President-elect Joe Biden takes workplace.
The transfer returns Cuba to the pariah listing, exposing it to a variety of sanctions and restrictions, 5 years after the Obama-Biden administration thawed relations with the communist nation and eased its isolation. It additionally leaves one other diplomatic imbroglio for the Biden administration to cope with after the brand new president takes workplace on January 20.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo alleged that Cuba repeatedly supplied help for acts of worldwide terrorism in granting protected harbor to terrorists. He argued that Cuba’s authorities needs to be denied the sources it makes use of to oppress the Cuban individuals, and the US must counter its “malign interference in Venezuela and the remainder of the Western Hemisphere.”
Havana fired again on the US sanctions, denouncing them as “political opportunism.”
“We condemn the cynical and hypocritical qualification of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism, introduced by the United State,” Cuba’s international affairs minister Bruno Rodriguez tweeted.
The transfer has additionally drawn criticism from the Democratic Get together, with some lawmakers echoing Cuba’s personal indignation over its return to the blacklist.
Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) slammed the choice, saying, “This blatantly politicized designation makes a mockery of what had been an goal measure of international governments’ energetic help for terrorism. Nothing remotely like that exists right here.” He recommended that Pompeo intentionally goals to “make issues as troublesome as potential” for Biden, who was Obama’s Vice President throughout a thaw between the nations.
Simply two days in the past, Pompeo introduced that he was ending all “self-imposed restrictions” on US diplomatic dealings with Taiwan, sparking condemnation from China. And on Sunday, Pompeo mentioned the administration additionally plans to designate the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen as a international terrorist group, efficient the day earlier than Biden is scheduled to be inaugurated.
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