The following statement was issued by Carlos Fernández de Cossío, director general of United States affairs for Cuba’s foreign ministry, regarding the decision of the United States government to include Cuba on its list of ‘state sponsors of terrorism’.
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The ministry of foreign affairs condemns in firm and absolute terms the qualification of Cuba as a nation sponsor of terrorism by the government of the United States and the inclusion of our country on a state department list.
The reasons are numerous. First of all, Cuba is not a sponsor of terrorism. This is known by the president of the United States. It is known by the secretary of state, who deliberately lied yesterday when making the qualification. It is known by the officials of the department of state, and the officials in the United States who are in charge of law enforcement issues know it.
Another reason is that Cuba does not recognise the authority in the qualification lists of countries issued by the state department.
These are lists, such as that of the states that supposedly sponsor terrorism, that are totally unilateral, lacking international recognition or recognition by any international authority, that exist and were designed to defame countries that the United States has disagreements and discrepancies with, and to apply economic coercion measures against those countries.
It is used as a pretext to punish countries, as in the case of Cuba, coercive economic measures that are applied to punish the Cuban people and to punish our nation.
And an additional reason is that Cuba is a victim of terrorism, of terrorism that has been organised, financed and perpetrated by the government of the United States or by individuals and organisations that reside in the territory of the United States, or that operate from the territory of the United States with the tolerance of the authorities of that country.
I could say that an additional reason is the political opportunism of those officials or of those who feel in political debt on the occasion of the recent elections in the United States, or those who are advancing favours for the year 2024 and believe that for a minority group with extreme positions against Cuba it is attractive to be applying measures against our country at the last minute.
I should add that this measure has received rejection at an international level, it has had of course the rejection of the Cuban people, the rejection of many sectors within the United States, including prominent members of Congress, both the House and the Senate, including religious organisations in the United States and also some international organisations.
There is an additional reason, which is important to consider here. This measure is taken by an outgoing government, with the obvious objective, clear to the whole world, of trying to impose obstacles to any future recomposition of relations between Cuba and the United States. It is a deliberate intention and one that was obvious from the moment this qualification was first made against our country.
We insist that it is a calumny, an insult against Cuba, and that the secretary of state deliberately lies when describing Cuba as a country sponsor of terrorism.
12 January 2021
