A forceful group of Republican congressmen of Cuban origin has urged the president of the United States, Joe Bidento keep Cuba in the list of countries that sponsor terrorism.
Among the promoters of the petition are Cuban-American legislators as Maria Elvira Salazar, Carlos Gimenez y Mario Diaz-Balartwho, together with Nicole Malliotakisemphasized this Saturday in statements before the US Congress that “socialism has destroyed Cuba.”
“Grateful to join my Cuban colleagues in asking the State Department to keep Cuba on the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism,” Salazar said on her social networks.
The request arises in the midst of the controversy generated by the recent trip of two Democratic congressmen to the island, where they met with the Cuban president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, according to the Agency EFE.
According to what was revealed by The New HeraldDemocratic representatives Pramila Jayapal (Washington) e Ilhan Omar (Minnesota), “met with people from across Cuban civil society and government officials to discuss human rights and the bilateral relationship between the United States and Cuba.”
For their part, Republicans argued that Cuba’s presence on said list is justified. until “freedom and democracy are restored” destroyed by the totalitarian communist regime, and proposed the Force Law, that hinders any attempt to normalize relations between both countries under current conditions.
During the press conference in front of Congress, the initiative was interrupted by members of the organization Codepinkwhich demands that Cuba be excluded from the aforementioned list.
Meanwhile, The Biden administration has rejected the idea of withdrawing the island of the category imposed by the former president Donald Trump towards the end of his administration.
Simultaneously, the opponent Center for a Free Cuba called for a protest in front of the Cuban Embassy in Washington, with the purpose of denouncing Cuba’s support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine and honor the deceased opponent Oswaldo Payaestablishing a parallel between Payá’s death and that of the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
The focus of attention is also on the visit to Cuba of congresswomen Jayapal and Omar, belonging to the radical wing of the Democratic party (known as “the squad”), a movement that has generated criticism within the US Congress. Republicans and several Democrats see this action an inappropriate gesture of rapprochement with the Cuban government.
