1st LD: Obama says not decided whether to remove Cuba from terror sponsors list
Xinhua, April 12, 2015 Adjust font size:
U.S. President Barack Obama said Saturday he has not yet decided on whether to remove Cuba from State Sponsors of Terrorism List and that he has held "candid and fruitful conversation" with Cuban leader Raul Castro on the sidelines of a regional summit.
Obama, however, also said Cuba is not a threat to the United States, "we are not in the business of regime change" and the Cold War on Cuba is over.
The U.S. State Department has completed the review of Cuba's status and recommended the White House to remove Cuba from State Sponsors of Terrorism List.
Obama vowed before to act quickly once he receives the department's recommendation, which has been handed to the White House.
Cuba was added to the blacklist in 1982 and its presence has been a major sticking point in the restoration of full diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Their meeting on Saturday afternoon was the first substantive face-to-face talks between the two leaders after they announced starting the process of normalizing relations in December 2014. Endi