Washington (EFE).- Donald Trump revoked this Monday, in the first hours of his Presidency, the order of January 14 with which former President Joe Biden removed Cuba from the US list of states that promote terrorism.
Biden, who today left power after four years in office, had signed that executive order less than a week after leaving power. He made this decision to promote the release of several Cuban prisoners as part of a process that was mediated by the Vatican. In fact, that same day Cuba announced the release of 553 people “punished for various crimes.”
Biden had also suspended the ability of US citizens to sue in US courts for the expropriation of their properties in Cuba and lifted some financial sanctions.
Trump revokes Biden’s decision on Cuba
The inclusion of Cuba on the list in January 2021 was one of the last decisions Trump made before leaving power in his first term (2017-2021).
The United States then justified the measure by referring to the presence on the island of members of the Colombian guerrilla of the National Liberation Army (ELN), who traveled to Havana to begin peace negotiations with the Government of Colombia.
This designation implies a ban on arms sales with that country, greater control of its exports, restrictions on foreign aid, greater visa requirements and various economic sanctions.
Cuba had been part of the list since 1982 but left it in 2015, during the rapprochement stage promoted by the then US president Barack Obama (2009-2017) and stopped by Trump, who during his first term redoubled the sanctions on Havana and stopped the “thaw.”
Gestures towards the island
The outgoing Biden Administration had made some gestures towards the island, such as the elimination of the remittance limit for Cuba, but had kept Cuba on that list until mid-January to which the country now returns.
In his nomination hearing as Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, who was confirmed this Monday by the Senate, had declared last week that he had “zero doubts” that Cuba is a country that promotes terrorism.
When the departure took place, the Cuban Executive described Washington’s announcement as a “decision in the right direction” – although limited. The island’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed that it was a “very limited” step regarding a “cruel and unjust” policy and stressed that “the economic war remains.”
Cuba calls Trump’s decision a “mockery”
For her part, the president of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, described this Monday as a “mockery” that her American counterpart, Donald Trump, has once again included the island on the list of countries sponsoring terrorism, just six days after that her predecessor, Joe Biden, excluded her.
In a series of messages on the social network objective” after this step is to strengthen “the cruel economic war against Cuba for the purposes of domination.”
“This act of mockery and abuse confirms the discredit of the lists and unilateral coercive mechanisms of the US Government. The legitimate and noble cause of our people will prevail and will once again win,” he added.
Díaz-Canel also pointed out that the sanctions against Cuba that Trump applied in his first term (2017-2021) caused “shortcomings” among the Cuban people and “a significant increase in the migratory flow” of islanders to the United States.
