US May Exclude Cuba From Terrorism List in ‘Coming Days’

US President Barack Obama is due to decide in the "coming days" whether to remove or keep Cuba in the United States' list of states that sponsor terrorism, the White House said Saturday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Cuba views the possible exclusion from the terrorism list as one of the key conditions for the full restoration of diplomatic relations with Washington. The United States have previously stated that the issue of terrorism and the opening of embassies are not connected with each other and should be discussed separately.

"The two leaders discussed the completion of the State Department review of Cuba's designation as a sponsor of terrorism, and Mr. Obama informed Mr. Castro that the next step, the interagency review, is near or is completed and that Mr. Obama would be making a decision in the "coming days," the White House was quoted as saying in a statement.

The announcement was made after Obama's meeting with his Cuban counterpart Raul Castro during the Seventh Summit of the Americas, which took place in Panama on April 10-11.

The meeting was held at the highest level for the first time in more than 50 years since the United States and Cuba cut contacts in 1961.

On December 17, 2014, Obama announced that the United States would seek to normalize its relations with Cuba, including the restoration of diplomatic relations, the lifting of trade and visa restrictions, and the exclusion of Cuba from the list of sponsors of terrorism where it was placed in March 1982.