U.S. Senator criticizes Trump's decision regarding Cuba
Havana, Jan 24 (RHC) U.S. Senator Peter Welch expressed his dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump's decision to reclassify Cuba as a State Sponsor of Terrorism in his first executive order.
The Vermont Democrat warned that once again, just like during his first term, Trump faced pressure from the same minority who believed that by making the lives of the Cuban people as miserable as possible, they would bring about the downfall of the government.
During a parliamentary session, Welch emphasized that Cuba should not be included in the list of countries designated as state sponsors of terrorism, and by reinstating it on that list, the president has disregarded the law.
He pointed out that, in his final week in office, President Joe Biden removed Cuba from the list of Special Security-Related Sanctions, which had been imposed by former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in the final days of the first Trump administration (2017-2021).
The senator stated that this classification has created significant challenges for the Cuban people, both directly and indirectly. He also argued that Biden correctly assessed that there is no proof of Cuba's involvement in international terrorism.
He noted that the response from those who support the designation of terrorism was as expected, and stressed that if the facts and the law supported this statement, he would agree. However, this decision has become a political one, not based on facts or the law.
On January 14, as his term was drawing to a close, Biden took a belated but necessary action by implementing certain measures regarding Cuba, including removing it from the list of countries subject to unilateral sanctions.
During his first term in office, Trump pursued a strategy of intense pressure on Cuba and implemented 243 additional measures that further strengthened the embargo.
On January 12, 2021, just eight days before leaving the White House, the Republican once again added Cuba to the list of countries allegedly sponsoring terrorism, which it had not been on since 2015, when then-President Barack Obama had removed it. (Source: Prensa Latina)
