Free Republic

As part of President Barack Obama’s restoration of diplomatic ties with the Communist government of Cuba, Secretary of State John Kerry will be reviewing the “State Sponsors of Terrorism” designation given to Cuba by the U.S. State Department, a designation the country has held since 1982. Cuba is one of only four countries to have that designation, the others being Syria, Iran and Sudan. In announcing the change on Dec. 17, President Obama said, “This review will be guided by the facts and the law. A nation that meets our conditions and renounces the use of terrorism should not face...

U.S. Keeping N.Korea on Terror List 'Indefinitely' North Korea remains on a list of state sponsors of terrorism from which the U.S. had been expected to remove the Stalinist country on Monday. A diplomatic source in Washington said U.S. President George W. Bush decided to postpone the removal since North Korea failed to agree on a verification regime for the nuclear programs and stockpiles it has declared. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told Japan's Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura by phone about the policy change. By law, the U.S. president could have removed the North from the terrorism list on...