(credit: nato.int)   Norway  Minister of Foreign Affairs Ine Eriksen Søreide

By Gary Raynaldo   DIPLOMATIC TIMES

Norway criticized the out-going Trump administration’s 11th-hour decision to  designate Cuba a state sponsor of terrorism. The Trump administration added Cuba to its list of sponsors of terror on Monday, effectively reversing an Obama-era action that removed  the Latin American country from the designation.  Cuba was first placed on the list in 1982 under then-President Ronald Reagan but was removed in 2015 by Obama as part of a normalization of relations.

“The Trump administration’s decision to include Cuba on the State Sponsors of Terrorism List is regrettable. Placing Cuba on the list will make it difficult to normalise relations between the US and Cuba, and will impede efforts to promote positive change and development in Cuba.”

-Norway Minister of Foreign Affairs  Ine Eriksen Søreide statement Jan. 13, 2021

U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo made the surprise announcement Monday afternoon after House Democrats set in motion a plan to vote Wednesday to impeach President.  Pompeo said  with Monday’s action, “we will once again hold Cuba’s government accountable and send a clear message: the Castro regime must end its support for international terrorism and subversion of U.S. justice.”  Pompeo accused the Cuban government of feeding, housing and providing medical care for decades “for murderers, bombmakers, and hijackers.”  The U.S. Secretary of  State also claimed the Cuban intelligence and security apparatus has infiltrated Venezuela’s security and military forces, assisting Nicholas Maduro “to maintain his stranglehold over his people while allowing terrorist organizations to operate.  The Cuban government’s support for FARC dissidents and the ELN continues beyond Cuba’s borders as well, and the regime’s support of Maduro has created a permissive environment for international terrorists to live and thrive within Venezuela.”

Norway’s Minister of Foreign Affairs took issue with the U.S.’s claim regarding Cuba,  FARC and the ELN

‘We note that one of the reasons given for placing Cuba on the list is that the negotiating delegation from the Colombian guerrilla movement National Liberation Army (ELN) has remained in Cuba after peace negotiations between the ELN and the Colombian Government broke down in January 2019. Cuba has been Norway’s partner in the Colombian peace process. It is unreasonable that the outgoing US administration holds the Cuban government responsible for the delegation not being able to leave Cuba. If a country risks being placed on a terrorism list as a result of facilitating peace efforts, it could set a negative precedent for international peace efforts,’ said Ambassador  Søreide.