Cuba condemns terrorism and political manipulation
Statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

MINREXjune 1, 2020 11:06:39

Photo: Cubaminrex
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs states its strong rejection of the slanderous inclusion of Cuba in the U.S. State Department list of countries which are allegedly not cooperating fully with U.S. efforts against terrorism that was made public on May 13, 2020 and strongly rejected by President Miguel Díaz-Canel. Bermúdez.

This is a unilateral and arbitrary listing with no basis, authority or international support whatsoever which, as is known, only aids attempts to defame and pressure countries refusing to concede to the will of the U.S. government in making their sovereign decisions.

The main argument presented by the U.S. government is the presence in Cuban territory of members of the delegation to peace talks of the National Liberation Army (ELN) of Colombia.

As is well known, the delegation to peace talks between the National Liberation Army (ELN) of Colombia are in Cuba after Ecuador suddenly renounced its commitment to continue as the venue of these talks and, at the request of the Colombian government and the ELN, the venue for the peace process was moved to Havana in May of 2018.

These peace talks began on February 7, 2017 in Quito, Ecuador. Cuba, along with Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Venezuela and Norway, has served as a guarantor of the peace process as requested by the parties.

After Mr. Iván Duque Márquez was inaugurated as President of Colombia on August 7, 2018, representatives of his government, beginning on August 8 that year and until January 2019, had several exchanges with Cuba and the ELN delegation to the peace talks, with respect to continuing the dialogue that had initiated during the Santos Presidency – a process during which our country showed appropriate discretion and acted strictly in its capacity as a guarantor.

Immediately after the bombing of the Police Cadet Academy in Bogota on Jaunary 17, 2019, the president of the Republic of Cuba and our Minister of Foreign Affairs expressed our condolences to the Colombian government and people and particularly to relatives of the victims of the bombing, and reaffirmed Cuba’s strong position rejecting and condemning all terrorist acts, methods and practices in all forms and manifestations.

The Colombian government subsequently took political and legal action against the ELN delegation to the peace talks in Cuba and halted the peace dialogue. Additionally, a decision was made to ignore the Protocol in Case of Rupture, thus openly abandoning and violating commitments made by that state with the other six nations that had signed the accords. Continue reading Cuba condemns terrorism and political manipulation →