Havana, September 21 (RHC) -- An open letter to U.S. President Joe Biden is receiving wide coverage around the world.

The Sri Lankan Guardian newspaper published the letter to U.S. President Joe Biden from nearly 600 international parliamentarians demanding the removal of Cuba from the list of States suspected of sponsoring terrorism.

The newspaper stressed in a review that the letter, signed by legislators from 73 countries and coordinated by the Progressive International (PI), denounces the designation as “cynical, cruel and a clear violation of international law.”

It recalled that Washington initially removed Cuba from the list in 2015 during the Barack Obama administration after a thorough review, but former President Donald Trump reinstated the unfair categorization on the island in 2021.

The Sri Lankan newspaper pointed out the devastating impact on the Caribbean nation of extreme economic measures such as restricted access to essential goods such as food and medicine.

It emphasized that despite previous campaign promises to reverse the decision, President Joe Biden has not acted to remove Cuba from the list.

The signatories of the letter, which include prominent political figures such as former UK Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, Podemos leader of Spain Ione Belarra and the president of the Peoples' Democratic Party of Turkey Ertuğrul Kürkcü, maintain that the US measures are designed to maximize the suffering of the Cuban people, it said.

According to the lawmakers' letter, the designation undermines fundamental human rights, including the right to food, health and education, and violates the principles of international law.

Echoing the appeal, the newspaper underlines Cuba's long-standing role as a mediator for peace in the region and highlights the broader geopolitical impact of its inclusion on the list.

It stressed that, in this regard, the lawmakers call on their respective governments for a greater claim in favor of the Caribbean island and for its complete removal from the list of state sponsors of terrorism.

The open letter to Biden affirms that Washington's coercive measures harm the Cuban population and violate international norms, Sri Lanka Guardian noted.

The letter follows a similar call made earlier by 35 former heads of state, urging President Biden to act before his term ends, the newspaper recalled. (Source: Prensa Latina)