Groups, States Supported by Cuba Continue to Spread Terror

Groups, States Supported by Cuba Continue to Spread Terror
U.S. officials consider removing Castro regime from terror list
BY: Daniel Wiser
February 10, 2015 5:05 pm

U.S. officials are considering removing Cuba from a list of state
sponsors of terrorism, even as Cuban allies continue to launch military
attacks and trade for weapons.

As part of President Barack Obama's announcement in December that he
would normalize relations with Cuba, Obama instructed Secretary of State
John Kerry to review Cuba's terror designation and issue a report in six
months.

While reports indicate that the administration is leaning toward
removing Cuba from the terror list, such an action would conflict with
the Cuban regime's support for Colombian militants, Iran, and North Korea.

Cuban President Raul Castro and his government have been hosting peace
talks since 2012 between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary
Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a communist insurgency that has battled
the Colombian military since the 1960s in a conflict claiming 200,000
deaths. U.S. diplomatic cables leaked in 2010 revealed that Cuba had
harbored FARC militants and formed close ties with the group's political
wing.

Despite the Cuban-sponsored negotiations aimed at ending the internal
Colombian conflict, the FARC has not halted its belligerent actions.
Talks were temporarily suspended last November after the FARC captured a
Colombian general. The Marxist rebels have also attacked oil
installations and civilians throughout the negotiating period and
largely finance their operations by trafficking cocaine.

Colombia's military intercepted a shipment of Russian-made anti-aircraft
rockets last week that were headed to the FARC, according to regional
reports. The rebel insurgency has increased its arm purchases during the
talks.

A State Department spokesperson said in an email that, "the United
States is an unwavering supporter of the Colombian government's efforts
to achieve a negotiated peace and to bring an end to decades of
violence." The spokesperson did not say whether Cuba's support for the
FARC and the group's attacks during the peace talks in Havana would
affect discussions about removing Cuba from the terror list.

"That review is underway, and as the president instructed, is guided by
the facts and the law," the spokesperson said.

Cuba remains a close ally of Iran and has helped it develop military
partnerships and criminal networks within Latin American countries,
according to some analysts. The Islamic regime in Tehran is widely
regarded as the world's foremost sponsor of terrorism, including
militant groups in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and Bahrain.

"Iran used the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF)
and its regional proxy groups to implement foreign policy goals, provide
cover for intelligence operations, and create instability in the Middle
East," the State Department said in its most recent country reports on
terrorism.

Additionally, Cuba attempted to ship Soviet-era MiG-21 fighter jets, air
defense systems, missiles, and command and control vehicles to North
Korea in 2013—a violation of the United Nations ban on arms transfers to
the communist country. Panamanian officials seized the weapons after
discovering that they were concealed under bags of sugar.

Castro said in a speech last month that the United States must remove
Cuba from the terror list before he would consider normalizing
relations, as well as return the Guantanamo Bay military base to his
government and repeal the long-standing trade embargo. Roberta Jacobson,
assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere Affairs, told
lawmakers last week that the United States would not relinquish
Guantanamo but would continue holding talks to seek a rapprochement with
Cuba.

U.S. lawmakers from both parties have blasted what they call "secret"
negotiations between White House officials and the Cuban regime before
Obama's formal announcement in December of reestablishing ties.

"As if negotiating in secret is not bad enough, the Castro regime
continues to defy this administration, as the chairman and ranking
member said, by setting preconditions publicly on the negotiations, such
as demanding the return of land of Guantanamo, which is so vital to U.S.
national security interests," said Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R., Fla.),
a Cuban-American lawmaker and staunch critic of Castro, during the
hearing with Jacobson.

"It's so pathetic for this strong, wonderful, generous country to look
so weak when negotiating with the Castro regime."

Source: Groups, States Supported by Cuba Continue to Spread Terror |
Washington Free Beacon -
http://freebeacon.com/national-security/groups-states-supported-by-cuba-continue-to-spread-terror/