Obama drops Cuba from state terrorism list

David Jackson and Gregory Korte | USA TODAY

WASHINGTON -- President Obama told Congress on Tuesday he plans to remove Cuba from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism, another step in his effort to improve relations with the island after more than 50 years of diplomatic isolation.

In a formal notice to Congress, Obama said a State Department review determined that Cuba -- added to the terrorism list in 1982 -- met the requirements for removal.

Cuba "has not provided any support for international terrorism during the preceding 6-month period," and has offered "assurances that it will not support acts of international terrorism in the future," the president told lawmakers.

Announcing the change, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said that "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" to declare it a state sponsor of terrorism.

Obama discussed the terrorism issue last week in a meeting with Cuban President Raul Castro — the first formal face-to-face discussion between American and Cuban leaders since Fidel Castro established a communist regime on the island more than 50 years ago. The two leaders met on the sidelines of the Summit of the Americas in Panama.

Some Republicans denounced the removal of Cuba from the terrorism list.

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., a 2016 presidential candidate whose parents were from Cuba, said the government there has helped North Korea evade U.N. weapons sanctions and harbors U.S. fugitives, including the killer of a New Jersey police officer.

Obama's decision "sends a chilling message to our enemies aboard that this White House is no longer serious about calling terrorism by its proper name," Rubio said.

The United States and Cuba began discussing the terrorism issue shortly after Obama announced in December efforts to normalize relations between the two countries, including expanded travel and cultural exchanges.

Possible next steps: Opening embassies in both countries.

Cuba had pushed hard to be removed from the terrorism list, saying it damaged attempts at economic development. Obama's decision is likely to make it easier for the Cuban government to attract foreign investment from the U.S. and other countries.

Under federal law, the terrorism state designation remains in effect for another 45 days, giving Congress time to review the decision. Congress could try to restore Cuba to the list, but Obama would probably veto such a bill.

With Cuba off the list, only Iran, Syria and Sudan remain as state sponsors of terror. Other countries dropped from the list over the years are South Yemen (1990), Iraq (2003), Libya (2006) and North Korea (2008).

The United States first designated Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism in 1982 because of what the White House described as efforts "to promote armed revolution by organizations that used terrorism."

Secretary of State John Kerry said "circumstances have changed" since then. "Our Hemisphere, and the world, look very different today than they did 33 years ago," Kerry said in a statement.

Some Republicans had denounced Obama's decision days before it became public.

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., described removal of Cuba from the terrorism list as "nothing short of a miscarriage of justice borne out of political motivations not rooted in reality."

It is unjust for "the 11 million Cubans on the island suffering under the oppressive Castro regime," and "the millions of Cubans who risked their lives to flee the island with the hopes of one day returning to a free and democratic Cuba," said Ros-Lehtinen, a Cuban American who immigrated to the United States shortly after Fidel Castro took power.

Just two months ago, Obama extended a 19-year-old state of emergency against Cuba, suggesting the Castro regime had threatened to shoot down U.S. airplanes or sink U.S. ships in the waters north of the island nation. That state of emergency remains, prohibiting U.S.-registered vessels and aircraft from entering Cuban waters or airspace without authorization.

Congressional Democrats applauded Obama's move Tuesday. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said removing Cuba from the terrorism list will help gives its people more chances to join the global community.

"While no fan of the Castro regime, I continue to believe that opening up the island to American ideas, vibrancy, and trade is the most effective way to see a more open and tolerant Cuba," Durbin said.

Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., said removal from the terrorism list is a "logical step," but "the story cannot end here." The United States must pressure Cuba into more democratic reforms, he said.

"I believe the ball is now in the Cuban government's court to respond by allowing for greater political pluralism, guaranteeing freedom of speech, and ensuring that each and every Cuban political prisoner is freed," he said.