President Obama said Thursday that the State Department has completed its review on whether to remove Cuba from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism, but didn’t say what the recommendation will be.
“That review has been completed,” Mr. Obama said of the State Department’s process, adding the recommendation will next go through an interagency review before it’s forwarded to him.
“I won’t make a formal announcement today about what those recommendations are until I have them,” Mr. Obama said after a meeting with Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller in Kingston.
State Department sources have said that the review is expected to recommend that Cuba be removed from the government’s list of State Sponsors of Terrorism, a designation that has been a barrier in establishing embassies in Havana and Washington.
Mr. Obama announced late last year that the U.S. would resume diplomatic relations with Cuba after more than 50 years. He’s expected to talk to Cuban President Raul Castro later this week during a summit in Panama.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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