U.S. wants to give Cuba a heavy "terrorist hat"

　　A person familiar with the U.S. government disclosed that the U.S. is considering returning Cuba to the list of "countries supporting terrorism."

Cuba warned the US not to do this on December 30, 2020.

　　According to US media analysis, if the Republican government rushes to add Cuba to the "blacklist" before the Democratic president-elect Joseph Biden takes office, it will prevent the next government from "relaxing" Cuba.

　　[See you in "a few days"]

　　A person familiar with the matter disclosed that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is considering whether it is possible to put Cuba back on the "terrorist" list before Biden is sworn in on January 20, 2021.

CNN quoted a senior government official as saying that Pompeo will make a decision "in the next few days."

　　A spokesperson for the State Council denied that it was conducting a "discussion or potential review" on the country's identification of "supporting terrorism."

The White House did not respond to media reports.

　　The U.S. State Department informed Congress in May 2020 that Cuba "does not fully cooperate" with the U.S. counter-terrorism and rejected the request of the U.S. ally Colombia to extradite 10 suspects in the 2019 Police Academy bombing incident.

　　Agence France-Presse noted that the United States is considering bringing Cuba back to the "terrorist support" list, which coincides with the 60-year break of diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba.

　　After the victory of the Cuban Revolution in 1959, the United States adopted a hostile policy towards Cuba. In October 1960, it banned the export of goods to Cuba. On January 3, 1961, it announced the severance of diplomatic relations with Cuba.

　[Cuba condemned]

　　Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez condemned on social media "Twitter" that the United States is considering "adding Cuba to the list of countries supporting terrorism in order to please the anti-Cuban minority in Florida."

　　According to Rodríguez, "The United States shelters and exempts terrorist groups from anti-Cuba in its territory from being punished."

　　"The New York Times" reported that the Republican government is considering putting Cuba back on the "terrorist" list, with the intention of "repaying" Cuban voters in Florida.

The latter strongly supported the current President Donald Trump and Republicans in the November 2020 presidential and congressional elections.

　　In 1982, the United States included Cuba on the list of "supporting terrorism" on the grounds that Cuba supported the rebels in Latin America.

In 2015, as relations between the United States and Cuba improved, the Democratic government led by then President Barack Obama removed Cuba from this list.

The United States has successively relaxed restrictions on the Cuban economy, travel and trade, and reopened its embassy in Cuba.

　　On December 14, 2020, the United States removed Sudan from the "terrorist" list.

There are currently three countries on this list: Iran, North Korea, and Syria.

Many people criticized the establishment of this list as politically motivated and the standards are inconsistent.

　　In October 2008, in accordance with the agreement reached between the United States and North Korea on the verification of North Korea’s nuclear facilities, the Republican government led by then President George W. Bush removed North Korea from the “terrorist support” list.

In November 2017, the Republican government re-added North Korea to the list of "supporting terrorism" under the background of the United States' "extreme pressure" on North Korea and North Korea's sixth nuclear test.

　　["Binding" the next government]

　　US Democrats criticized the proposal to bring Cuba back to the "terrorist" list, saying that this "last minute" foreign policy change during Trump's tenure would "unjustly" restrain the incoming Biden administration.

　　In a telephone interview with the New York Times, the new chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Democrat Gregory W. Meeks said that Trump "set up another stumbling block" more than 20 days before the expiration of his term, "in an attempt to give the incoming The government is handcuffed".

　　Some Democrats and foreign policy experts believe that Trump and his staff are eager to try to restrain Biden in the first few months of his tenure and increase the difficulty for the latter to overthrow the foreign policy of Trump.

In recent weeks, Trump administration officials have also sought to increase pressure and sanctions on Iran and other countries.

　　If Cuba is pulled back to the “terrorism support” list, the next administration of the United States may quickly move it out, but it will be formally reviewed by the State Department, and the process may take several months.

(Chen Dan) (Xinhua News Agency Special Feature)