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Obama to take Cuba off terror list

15 April 2015 02:51 (UTC +04:00)

The move comes amid a normalisation of relations between the US and Cuba.

The Caribbean country's presence on the list alongside Syria, Iran and Sudan was a sticking point for Cuba during talks to reopen embassies.

Mr Obama announced the historic US thaw with Cuba in December but the US trade embargo against the country remains, and may only be ended by Congress.

In a message to Congress, Mr Obama said the government of Cuba "has not provided any support for international terrorism" over the last six months and had "provided assurances that it will not support acts of international terrorism in the future".

White House press secretary Josh Earnest said the US still had differences with Cuba.

"Our concerns over a wide range of Cuba's policies and actions fall outside the criteria that is relevant to whether to rescind Cuba's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism," said Mr Earnest.