US - Cuba: Escaping the past, erasing grudges

The US President's proposal to remove Cuba from the list of countries supporting terrorism is an important step towards normalizing relations between the two countries.

US President Barack Obama on April 14 officially proposed to Congress to remove Cuba from the list of countries sponsoring terrorism. Observers assessed that this is an important step to move closer to normalizing relations between the two countries.

In a message to Congress, President Obama said that over the past six months, the Cuban government “has not provided any support for international terrorism and the Cuban government has also assured that it will not support international terrorist activities in the future.”

Cuban President Raul Castro (left) shakes hands with US President Barack Obama before their meeting on April 11. (Photo: Reuters)

According to regulations, the US Congress will have 45 days to make a final decision on whether to remove Cuba from the list of countries sponsoring terrorism. However, if the legislators object, Mr. Obama can use his presidential veto.

At present, this decision of President Obama attracts much public attention.

Both countries recognized Obama's decision as correct.

President Obama's announcement came three days after he held an hour-long meeting with Cuban President Raul Castro, which President Obama hailed as "historic" between the two countries' leaders in more than half a century.

If removed from the list, Cuba will have access to the US banking system and other financial institutions around the world, allowing the two countries to open embassies and paving the way for future trade cooperation.

On the night of April 14, Director of the Department of US Affairs of the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ms. Josefina Vidal expressed her support for Mr. Obama's move: "The Cuban government supports the US President's official proposal to remove Cuba from the list of countries supporting terrorism, which Cuba should never have been on that list."

“As the Havana government has stated many times, Cuba rejects and condemns all acts of terrorism in all their forms, as well as any actions aimed at encouraging, supporting, financing and concealing terrorism,” Ms. Josefina Vidal emphasized.

Cuba was added to the US list of state sponsors of terrorism, which also included Syria, Sudan and Iran, in 1982 for harboring Basque separatists and Colombian FARC rebels.

Not only Havana officials, but also US government agencies, including intelligence agencies, believe that Cuba should be removed from this list.

“Cuba should never have been on the terrorist list”

In fact, the legal implications of being on the list of countries sponsoring terrorism for Cuba are not many, however, for the Cuban people, being on the list of countries supporting terrorism is a defamation of their honor. The Cuban people always believe that their country is a peace-loving country, and also always oppose the cruel acts of terrorism in the world.

According to Ms. Vidal, Director of the Department of American Affairs of the Cuban Foreign Ministry, Cuba should never have been on that list because Cuba was the victim of hundreds of terrorist attacks, in which 3,478 people were killed and 2,099 Cubans were disabled as a result of these terrorist acts.

Cuban people always believe that their country is a peace-loving country, and always oppose cruel terrorist acts in the world (photo: Reuters)

Surely the Cuban people still have not forgotten the bloody bombing on October 6, 1976 of a Cubana Airlines plane in the skies over Barbados that killed 73 passengers and crew.

However, instead of handing over notorious terrorist Luis Posada Carriles, the mastermind of the Barbados bombing and a series of other terrorist acts against Cuba, the United States covered for him when he fled to the United States.

For many years, Cuba has been calling for justice for the victims of the above terrorist attack. AP also quoted the widow of a crew member on the fateful 1976 flight, Iraida Malberti, now 78 years old, bitterly sharing: "Cuba should never have been on the list of countries supporting terrorism. No decision can bring the victims back to life, erase the pain we have to endure."

Don't let the past hold you captive

After decades of confrontation, the United States and Cuba are now turning a new page in history. Starting in December 2014, both countries agreed to take steps to normalize relations.

On April 11, Cuban President Raul Castro had a private one-hour meeting with US President Barack Obama on the sidelines of the Summit of the Americas (OAS).

On April 14, US President Barack Obama officially proposed to Congress to remove Cuba from the list of countries sponsoring terrorism. This is an important step to bring the two countries closer together, removing some obstacles so that the two countries can normalize relations.

With the decision to remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, officials on both sides hope to reopen embassies in each other's countries. Being removed from the terror list could also make it easier for Cuba to get credit from banks outside the United States, transfer money between countries and conduct a host of other international financial transactions.

Earlier, speaking at the opening session of the OAS Conference, Mr. Obama declared: “America will not let the past imprison us. We are looking to the future. I am not interested in battles that started before I was born. The Cold War is long gone.”

The US President emphasized that the policy change could be a turning point for the entire Latin American region./.

According to VOV.VN