US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo decided to include Cuba in the list of countries that sponsor terrorism, which already includes Iran, North Korea and Syria. About this newspaper The New York Times, citing sources.
Such a proposal was allegedly made by the employees of the State Department. Pompeo, in turn, must decide whether to approve the plan to include Cuba in the list of countries sponsoring terrorism. Sources are not yet sure how he will proceed.
The New York Times suggests that this move will entail the imposition of US sanctions against the Cuban authorities, which will only complicate the work of President-elect Joe Biden. The democrat has repeatedly criticized the tough policy of the Donald Trump administration towards the island, in connection with which he will want to exclude the country from the list of sponsors of terrorism. However, this process will take several months.
In response to questions from the newspaper, a State Department spokeswoman said she would not comment on “discussions or potential solutions” regarding the list. The White House also did not answer questions about the publication.
Trump and his supporters have recently been trying to make decisions that will influence US policy under Biden in the early months of his rule. In particular, the White House discussed the strengthening of sanctions against China and Iran.
The United States severed diplomatic ties with Cuba in 1961 in response to the nationalization of American property. After that, Washington announced the imposition of a trade and economic embargo. Former US President Barack Obama announced the normalization of bilateral relations in 2014, but the rapprochement ended in January 2017, when the United States was led by Donald Trump.
