‘Cuba Does Not Sponsor Terrorism’, 35 Former Heads of State Emphasize
A street in Havana, Cuba. X/ @CapitalFMKenya
September 13, 2024 Hour: 11:46 am
U.S. sanctions continue even though the State Department admitted that Cuba cooperates in the fight against terrorism.
On Friday, 35 former presidents and prime ministers from Latin America, Europe, Africa, and Asia urged the United States to remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, arguing that such a policy constitutes “a coercive measure that is hardly justifiable in the 21st century.”
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In a letter addressed to U.S. President Joe Biden, the former leaders lamented that after “decades of unilateral sanctions and coercive measures, Cuba’s economy is one of the most severely affected in the world and is currently, socially, at a point of difficult return.”
“The wave of Cuban migrants to the United States, unprecedented in its magnitude, is perhaps the most illustrative example of the devastating impact and suffering caused by extreme measures against the Cuban economy resulting from its inclusion in the list of state sponsors of terrorism,” they added, noting that “the extraterritorial impact of financial blockade measures against Cuba also affects the interests of our countries, including the banking and business sectors.”
While recognizing as a “wise and just decision” the U.S. State Department’s move to remove Cuba from the list of countries that do not cooperate in the fight against terrorism, they criticized that “in a contradictory manner, the authorities of your country insist on keeping Cuba on the other list.”
“How can it be claimed, at the same time, that a country cooperates in the global fight against terrorism, while also accusing it of openly supporting it?” they questioned.
They argued that both neighboring countries “should not deprive themselves of mutual cooperation simply because they have different political systems with distinct ideological inspirations,” especially since “the situation is becoming dramatic” but “can and should be corrected if justice is done in recognizing Cuba’s demonstrated efforts to fight against, not with, terrorism.”
In this regard, they mentioned the “active participation” of the Cuban government in the construction of the 2016 Peace Agreement between the Colombian government and the FARC guerrillas, as well as its role as a guarantor in the dialogue with the National Liberation Army (ELN).
For all these reasons, former presidents and prime ministers urged Biden to take action to “alleviate the situation of millions of innocent people” and insisted: “No country should compromise the seriousness of the fight against the scourge of terrorism for political purposes.”
“We ask you to consider sending this clear message of humanity and understanding beyond legitimate ideological differences, which should not and cannot justify acting to the contrary. The Cuban people and the countries we represent will recognize your historic gesture, Mr. President,” they concluded.
The letter to Biden was signed by former presidents such as Dilma Rousseff (Brazil), Ernesto Samper (Colombia), José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero (Spain), Evo Morales (Bolivia), Rafael Correa (Ecuador), Leonel Fernández (Dominican Republic), Manuel Zelaya (Honduras), and Martin Torrijos (Panama).
teleSUR/ JF Source: EFE
