Cuba Denounces US for Manipulation of Terrorism Claims

teleSUR | October 9, 2014

Cuba has been on the U.S. State Department’s list of countries that according to Washington supports terrorism since 1982, despite lack of evidence that the Caribbean country has been supplying arms or other support to extremists.

In a statement before the United Nations, Cuba denounced the United States for its use of the term “terrorism” saying they manipulate the term for political purposes.

​Tanieris Dieguez, the third secretary of the permanent mission of Cuba, Wednesday said that it was absurd that Cuba remains on the U.S. list of countries that support terrorism, referring to the report published April 30 by the State Department naming Cuba a “State Sponsor of Terrorism.” Dieguez statements were published Wednesday by the Cuban news agency Prensa Latina.

The list was created by the State Department in 1979, and is meant to apply to countries that it considers as having “repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism,” according to their website. It includes providing administrative and arms exports, as well as other foreign assistance to terrorist bodies. The penalties for the countries on the list are strong sanctions.

Cuba has been on the list since March 1, 1982. The other countries on the list are Iran, Sudan and Syria.

In a forum of the Sixth Committee of the General Assembly – the primary U.N. forum for considering legal questions – Dieguez said Washington keeps Cuba on the list to justify the harsh economic, commercial and financial sanctions imposed on the island, despite the lack of evidence that the government is aiding extremist organizations.

The main focus of the assembly was the elimination of international terrorism, where Dieguez rejected “the manipulation of such a sensitive issue.”

The Cuban diplomat also reminded the U.N. that Cuba has been hosting Colombia’s current peace negotiations since 2012, showing support for the peace process. She also reaffirmed Cuba’s backing the adoption of a general convention on terrorism, and a UN sponsored world conference on the topic to attempt to find coordinated global solutions to the problem.

Cuban citizens had hoped that the U.S. would not keep the island on the “State Sponsor of Terrorim” list this year – a decision that is evaluated and made yearly – because it “fails to meet the statutory criteria for being removed,” say U.S. officials.