On its way out the door, Trump administration names Cuba a state sponsor of terrorism

Cuba’s deployment of its medical brigades to a host of nations facing shortages of medical staffers, including Italy, drew words appreciation from host countries but stiff condemnations by Washington, which accused the Cubans of forcing doctors to work for next nothing.“Any success in Sec of State Pompeo’s whimsical personal campaign to include Cuba in the list of countries sponsoring terrorism would confirm that in the US the corrupt loyalty to minority interests is stronger that the commitment to fight this international scourge,” Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez tweeted last week.Biden has signaled his willingness to pick up where Obama left off, focusing on the restoration of flights and remittance privileges removed under Trump.But even if Biden moves to lift Cuba off the terrorism list, it could take months, during which Cuba could suffer a substantial economic impact.The primary basis laid out by the administration for the re-designation is Cuba’s refusal to extradite to Colombia a group of 10 guerrilla leaders of Colombia’s National Liberation Army — ELN by its Spanish initials — accused in a car-bomb attack two years ago on a police training school in Bogota in which 21 cadets were killed.In addition to suspending sputtering peace talks with the ELN being conducted in Cuba, Colombian President Iván Duque reactivated arrest warrants against the 10, including commander Nicolás Rodríguez Bautista and chief ELN negotiator Israel Ramirez Pineda.In a May statement, the State Department said that Cuba, among other countries, was “not cooperating fully” with counterterrorism efforts and cited its refusal to extradite the guerrilla leaders to Colombia.Cuba’s response to the Colombian and U.S. demands has been that the 10 are on the island because of a request by Colombia, made under that country’s previous government, to allow them to live there while Colombia-ELN peace talks are underway.