Ileana Ros-Lehtinen Points to Ties Between North Korea and Cuba

U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., weighed in on Tuesday after news broke that a North Korean ship headed from Cuba back to North Korea with missile equipment. The ship was stopped by the Panamanian government.

The fact that missile equipment was caught being shipped from Cuba to North Korea reaffirms the dangerous threats faced by our nation due to the nefarious activities by these two rogue regimes, said Ros-Lehtinen in a statement. This revelation confirms once again that Pyongyang must be redesignated on the State Sponsor of Terrorism (SST) list as it continues to cooperate with the Cuban regime, a designated SST country, in order to undermine U.S. interests.

This is a serious and alarming incident that reminds us that the North Korean regime continues to pursue its nuclear and ballistic programs, and will stop at nothing in that pursuit, she added. It also illustrates that the Castro tyranny continues to aid and abet Americas enemies and continues to pose a national security threat to the United States as long as the Castro apparatchik holds control over the island.

I commend President Martinelli and his law enforcement officials in Panama for doing their due diligence and inspecting this ship carefully, Ros-Lehtinen said in conclusion. This incident should serve as a wake-up call to the administration, which over the past few months has been leading an apparent effort to normalize relations with Cuba, that it cannot continue to engage the Castro regime. I call on the Department of State to immediately cease its migration talks this week with the Cuban regime until it provides clear and coherent answers regarding this incident.