2nd LD: Obama intends to remove Cuba from list of state sponsors of terrorism

U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday told Congress his intent to remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, the White House said.

In a message to Congress, Obama certifies that the Cuban government "has not provided any support for international terrorism" over the past six months and it has provided assurances that it will not support terrorist acts in the future.

Obama and his Cuban counterpart Raul Castro announced in December a thaw in relations following more than five decades of enmity. Obama had instructed Secretary of State John Kerry to review Cuba's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism.

"After a careful review of Cuba's record, which was informed by the intelligence community, as well as assurances provided by the Cuban government, the Secretary of State concluded that Cuba met the conditions for rescinding its designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism," the White House said in a statement.

The Congress will have 45 days to review Obama's decision, but lawmakers are unlikely to block the move.

Obama's decision came days after he and Castro held talks on the sidelines of a regional summit in Panama, the first meeting between a Cuban and U.S. president in half a century.

"We will continue to have differences with the Cuban government, but our concerns over a wide range of Cuba's policies and actions fall outside the criteria that is relevant to whether to rescind Cuba's designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said in the statement. Endite