WASHINGTON
President Barack Obama on Tuesday indicated to Congress that the White House intends to remove Cuba from a list of state sponsors of terrorism.
"After a careful review of Cuba’s record, which was informed by the intelligence community, as well as assurances provided by the Cuban government, the Secretary of State concluded that Cuba met the conditions for rescinding its designation as a state sponsor of terrorism," read a White House statement.
Obama said last week that the State Department submitted to the White House its recommendation whether to remove Cuba from the list, which Cuba has been on since 1982.
The decision to remove Cuba from the list indicates an important step for Obama’s effort to reverse 50 years of Cold War-era hostilities between the two countries.
The U.S. and Cuba announced last December that they would work to normalize relations.
Though criticized by some lawmakers, four rounds of talks have been held since then, aimed at detente.
In a show of good faith, the U.S. and Cuba swapped prisoners, including American Alan Gross from a Cuban prison where he was held for five years.
