House Speaker John Boehner blasted the Obama administration’s decision to remove Cuba from the State Department’s list of state sponsors of terror as a big mistake, since the administration failed to negotiate anything in return from Cuba.
“The Obama administration has handed the Castro regime a significant political win in return for nothing,” the Ohio Republican said in a statement Friday.
Boehner and other opponents of President Obama’s effort to reach out to Cuba have criticized Obama for failing to ask for Cuba for anything, which could include an improved human rights regime, or ending the persecution of political dissidents.
“As I’ve said before, relations with the Castro regime should not be revisited, let alone normalized, until the Cuban people enjoy freedom — and not one second sooner,” Boehner said. “Removing the regime from the State Department’s list of state sponsors of terror is just the latest example of this administration focusing on more befriending our enemies than helping our allies, but unfortunately it will have little practical effect.”
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced Friday Cuba would be removed from the list, a decision that takes effect immediately and goes along with the administration’s recent efforts to normalize diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba. The island nation has said it must come off the list before it can agree to re-establish formal diplomatic relations with the U.S.
State also said it sees the terrorism list as an issue that’s separate from others, such as human rights.
“While the United States has significant concerns and disagreements with a wide range of Cuba’s policies and actions, these fall outside the criteria relevant to the rescission of a state sponsor of terrorism designation,” the State Department said in a statement announcing the decision.
