• Submitted by: manso
• Politics and Government
• 04 / 04 / 2011

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The ambassadors of Spain and Colombia told former President Jimmy Carter during a three-day trip to Cuba that their governments were not concerned about the presence of former terrorists from both countries on the island.

Carter has repeatedly urged the Obama Administration to take Cuba off the “State Sponsor of Terrorism” list. Cuba’s inclusion in the list effectively blocks even minor improvements in bilateral relations.

At a meeting in Havana with foreign ambassadors representing Spain, Canada, Hungary, Mexico, the United Nations, European Union, Sweden, Brazil and Colombia, Carter “raised the question of the terrorist list,” he wrote in a report for the Carter Center after the trip.

The ambassadors of Spain and Colombia maintained that the presence of former members of terrorist groups ETA and ELN “enhances their ability to deal more effectively with these groups. In fact, ETA members are there at the request of the Spanish government,” Carter wrote.

Carter had met with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and National Security Advisor Tom Donilon before the trip.

In other news, Carter talked about the possibility of a release of USAID subcontractor Alan Gross in a report for the Carter Center. Cuban officials had told him they “believe that this is a possibility after his appeals process is completed,” Carter wrote.

Also, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez and foreign ambassadors told Carter that the Obama Administration’s recent tightening of sanctions of financial transactions via third-country banks has been “very damaging.”

Source: www.cubastandard.com/2011/04/03/spanish-colombian-officials-not-concerne...