Untitled Document
Cuba is designated
(pdf file) by the U.S. government as a "state sponsor of terrorism."
This is no mere war of words; there are concrete implications to such a designation:
1. A ban on arms-related exports and sales.
2. Controls over exports of dual-use items, requiring 30-day
Congressional notification for goods or services that could significantly
enhance the terrorist-list country's military capability or ability to support
terrorism.
3. Prohibitions on economic assistance.
4. Imposition of miscellaneous financial and other restrictions,
including:
Requiring the United States to oppose loans by the World Bank and other
international financial institutions;
Lifting diplomatic immunity to allow families of terrorist victims to file
civil lawsuits in U.S. courts;
Denying companies and individuals tax credits for income earned in terrorist-listed
countries;
Denial of duty-free treatment of goods exported to the United States;
Authority to prohibit any U.S. citizen from engaging in a financial transaction
with a terrorist-list government without a Treasury Department license;
and
Prohibition of Defense Department contracts above $100,000 with companies
controlled by terrorist-list states.
Note that such a designation requires
that a country be "determined by the Secretary of State to have repeatedly
provided support for acts of international terrorism."
In a response
to the U.S. State Department's most recent such designation, former U.S. "pseudo-ambassador"
to Cuba Wayne Smith demolishes the absurd U.S. claims. I'll just reproduce his
conclusion, which leads the article; you can read the article for yourself for
the detailed analysis:
The State Department's annual report on "State Sponsors of Terrorism,"
issued on April 28 of 2006, is a complete dud. It presents not a shred of
evidence to confirm that Cuba is in fact a terrorist state: nothing!
The Center for International Policy, with
which Smith is associated, carries on an extensive
program of countering U.S. policy against Cuba.
Here's one point that Smith missed: far from "repeatedly providing support
for acts of international terrorism," as required by the law, Cuba has
vigorously opposed acts of international terrorism, and the
State Department report admits as much!
"Cuba...has publicly condemned various U.S. policies and actions."
Enough said!
