Cuba Hails Its Removal From US Terrorism List

Cuban officials have welcomed US President Barack Obama's decision to remove the island from a list of state sponsors of terrorism.

He notified Congress of the long-awaited move on Tuesday a week after meeting his Cuban counterpart, Raul Castro, on the sidelines of the Summit of the Americas.

The handshake in Panama was the first such formal interaction between the former Cold War adversaries in more than a half a century.

Josefina Vidal, Cuba's top diplomat for US affairs, said: "The Cuban government recognises the president of the United States' just decision to take Cuba off a list in which it should never have been included."

The move will take effect within 45 days unless US lawmakers raise a joint resolution against the measure, which is deemed unlikely.

While the move will ease some economic sanctions on the communist-run island, the broader US embargo on Cuba will stay in place as only Congress can end that.

Josh Earnest, the White House press secretary, said in a statement: "We will continue to have differences with the Cuban government.

"But our concerns over a wide range of Cuba's policies and actions fall outside the criteria that is relevant to whether to rescind Cuba's designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism."

In his message to Congress, Mr Obama said the government of Cuba "has provided assurances that it will not support acts of international terrorism in the future".

The decision could pave the way towards restoring diplomatic relations between Washington and Havana, potentially reopening embassies that have been shut for 54 years.

Mr Obama ordered a review of Cuba's status on the terrorism list in December, as he and Mr Castro took steps towards rapprochement.

Havana was added to the list of terrorism sponsors in 1982, when it was aiding Marxist insurgencies in Colombia and elsewhere.

Other countries on the list include Iran, Sudan and Syria.

Ties between Washington and Havana deteriorated in 1959 when Fidel Castro and his revolutionaries seized control, forcing US-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista to flee.