New York, 6 August 2020. Today, Cuba endorsed its position at the virtual Open Debate of the Security Council on “Threats to International Peace and Security: Linkage between International Terrorism and Organized Crime”, where it extensively expressed its profound rejection and condemnation of all terrorist acts, methods and practices in all its forms and manifestations, whatever their motivations. It stated that the country has never permitted, nor will it ever permit its territory to be used to plan terrorist acts against any State.
The document illustrates how the island has been victim of terrorist acts that have claimed 3,478 lives and caused disabilities to other 2,099. The last one of them, precisely, happened on US soil: on 30 April 2020, a serious terrorist attack with a firearm against the Embassy of the Republic of Cuba in Washington endangered the safety of the staff of the Diplomatic Mission and their families.
However, the statement shows that far from condemning or rejecting the attack, the current government of the United States has included Cuba in the list of the United States Department of State of countries which supposedly do not fully cooperate in the fight against terrorism, issued on 13 May 2020. Subsequently and without any basis, our country was included in an annual report on international terrorism of the Department of State, in which Cuba is depicted as a “safe haven” for terrorists.
Both lists, arbitrarily and unilaterally prepared, only serve to defamatory purposes and coercion against countries which refuse, in their sovereign decisions, to abide by the will of the US government. This is strongly rejected by Cuba since it is politically motivated and contrary to international law.
The Cuban text submitted to the Security Council stressed that the groups and individuals who have committed terrorist acts against Cuba in the past have operated for years and continue to operate with impunity on US soil, all of which the law enforcement agencies of the United States government are fully aware.
The text emphasized that it is unacceptable that some terrorist acts are condemned; while others are silenced, tolerated, encouraged, justified or manipulated, for political and economic interests; and analyzed how the conspirational silence of the US government might encourage similar actions against diplomatic missions in both Washington and New York.
Cuba has strongly rejected in several scenarios the use of the pretext of an alleged fight against terrorism and organized crime to commit acts of aggression, undermine national sovereignty, interfere in internal affairs of other States and violate the human rights of their peoples.
Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations