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1st LD Writethru: U.S. officially removes Cuba from list of state sponsors of terrorism

Xinhua, May 30, 2015 Adjust font size:

The United States officially removed Cuba from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, the State Department said on Friday, clearing a major obstacle to re- establishing diplomatic ties between Washington and Havana.

U.S. President Barack Obama told Congress on April 14 his intent to take Cuba off the list of state sponsors of terrorism, triggering a 45-day review period for Congress to challenge his decision that expires on Friday.

"The 45-day Congressional pre-notification period has expired, and the Secretary of State has made the final decision to rescind Cuba's designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism, effective today, May 29, 2015," State Department spokesman Jeff Rathke said on Friday, adding that the move "reflects our assessment that Cuba meets the statutory criteria for rescission."

"While the United States has significant concerns and disagreements with a wide range of Cuba's policies and actions, these fall outside the criteria relevant to the rescission of a State Sponsor of Terrorism designation," Rathke added.

Obama and his Cuban counterpart Raul Castro announced in December a thaw in relations following more than five decades of enmity. Washington and Havana have held four rounds of talks in past months in a bid to restore diplomatic relations and re-open embassies.

Cuba's terror listing, a designation that imposed sanctions on some companies doing business with Cuba, has been a major sticking point in making concrete steps toward re-establishing diplomatic ties.

Cuba has been on the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism since 1982 and was one of only four countries on the list -- the others are Iran, Syria and Sudan. Endite