Washington, Jan 15 (EFE).- Senator Marco Rubio, nominated to be United States Secretary of State in the incoming Donald Trump administration, said Wednesday that he has “zero doubt” that Cuba is a state sponsor of terrorism.
During his confirmation hearing before the Senate, Rubio warned that the decision taken on Tuesday by the outgoing administration of President Joe Biden to remove the island from the list of countries that sponsor terrorist activities could be reversed.
“So there is zero doubt in my mind that they meet all the qualifications for being a state sponsor of terrorism,” said Rubio, the son of Cuban exiles and a known Cuban hardliner.
The nominee to replace Antony Blinken as secretary of state claimed that the Cuban government had supported Colombia’s defunct FARC guerrillas, as well as the militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah.
He also accused the island of hosting “espionage stations” belonging to US rival countries, as well as having strong ties with Iran and harboring fugitives from US justice.
Rubio did not confirm whether the new administration would put Cuba back on the list of state sponsors of terrorism, saying it was a decision for the president to make, but hinted that it was on the table.
Biden removed Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism on Tuesday in exchange for the Cuban government’s release of more than 500 prisoners in a process mediated by the Vatican.
Putting Cuba on the list in January 2021 was one of the last decisions made by Republican Donald Trump before he left office at the end of his first term.
At the time, the US-elected president justified the measure by alluding to the presence on the island of members of the Colombian guerrilla group, the National Liberation Army (ELN), who traveled to Havana to begin peace negotiations with the Colombian government that broke off during the administration of Colombian President Iven Duque (2018-2022).
This designation entails a ban on arms sales to the country, greater control over its exports, restrictions on foreign aid, stricter visa requirements, and various economic sanctions.
Cuba was on the list since 1982 but then removed in 2015 as part of the rapprochement promoted by then-US President Barack Obama (2009-2017) and halted by Trump, who tightened sanctions against Havana during his tenure. EFE
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