WASHINGTON: The State Department has recommended that Cuba be removed from the US blacklist of alleged state sponsors of terrorism, a leading member of the Senate foreign relations committee said Thursday.
Earlier, President Barack Obama confirmed the department's recommendation was ready, but said he would not reveal what it was before heading to the Summit of the Americas in Panama.
"The State Department's recommendation to remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, the result of a months-long technical review, is an important step forward in our efforts to forge a more fruitful relationship with Cuba," Senator Ben Cardin said Thursday.
Cardin, the senior Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has been closely involved in Washington's recent efforts to thaw ties with Cuba, its former Cold War foe.
Cardin's spokeswoman Sue Walitsky confirmed to AFP that Cardin had been informed of the State Department decision, but added: "I wouldn't use the term 'official' at this point in time."
Obama is to meet Cuba's President Raoul Castro during the two day summit, the next step as the countries' gingerly negotiate revived diplomatic ties and a loosening of the US trade embargo.
"It is my expectation that this announcement will clear the way for the United States and Cuba to re-establish diplomatic relations and strengthen people-to-people ties between our two countries," Cardin said, even as Obama flew to Panama.
"This latest step should provide the Obama administration the space needed to more vigorously promote our national interests and the values that we as a nation hold dear," he added.
Cuba's place on the US terror blacklist, which it received during the Cold War for sponsoring leftist movements in several conflicts, has been a sticking point in negotiations on closer ties.
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