Cuba Demands to Be Erased From US List of Sponsors of Terrorism

The first vice president of Cuba, Miguel Diaz, took advantage of his brief stay at the 24^th  Ibero-American Summit meeting in Mexico to put one of Cuba’s key demands on the table for discussion, which is that the United States remove the island nation from its list of “state sponsors of terrorism.” 

He also proposed adding a statement, which was approved by all the other delegates to oppose terrorism in all its forms. 

For years Cuba has denounced the terrorist attacks of the United States government against the Cuban people that have resulted in 3,478 deaths and 2,009 people to be injured. 

The attacks include the blowing up of a civilian airplane, numerous attempts on the life of former Cuban leader Fidel Castro, the bombing of hotels and restaurants in tourist neighborhoods, machinegun attacks from speedboats against coastal towns, and the introduction of chemical and biological agents such as dengue fever, 

Speaking before the plenary session, Diaz thanked the other heads of state for their statements opposing the United States’ blockade against Cuba, and for their support in taking Havana off the list that was established by former President George W. Bush after the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

He also thanked them for their solidarity for the  release of the three Cubans still being held in U.S. prisons accused of terrorism, while Havana considers them to be antiterrorist freedom fighters.