Mr. President,
The Cuban delegation thanks the Special Rapporteur, Ben Saul, for his detailed report. This document constitutes a valuable tool for exposing the arbitrary and politically motivated uses of the concept of terrorism.
We fully agree with the Special Rapporteur when he notes that imprecise and overly broad definitions give rise to some of the most common human rights violations in the fight against terrorism.
The inclusion of Cuba in the unilateral list drawn up by the Government of the United States, which arbitrarily designates certain countries as State sponsors of terrorism, is not only defamatory, but is also notable for the enormous economic and humanitarian damage it causes.
The Government of the United States is fully aware that Cuba does not sponsor terrorism. Our people have themselves been victims of this scourge on several occasions. More than 3,478 Cubans have died as a result of terrorist acts since 1959.
On 26 February, Cuban authorities successfully thwarted a new attempt at terrorist infiltration by a vessel registered in the United States.
The vessel was tasked with introducing military materials, including assault rifles and handguns, improvised explosive devices, and ammunition, into national territory.
Mr. President,
In recent days, several mandate holders of this Council’s special procedures publicly denounced that the accusations of Cuba’s alleged support for terrorism, as well as the designation of our country as an extraordinary and unusual threat to the national security of the United States, lack credibility and are intended to justify the use of extraordinary coercive powers.
We thank the Special Rapporteur for his position and encourage him to continue paying due attention to this situation.
Cuba remains firmly committed to fulfilling its obligations as a State Party to the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism and accords the highest priority to the eradication of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.
Thank you very much.