article: Senator Ben Cardin called the move "an important step". If carried out, the move could pave the way for the two countries to reopen embassies. US President Barack Obama is also expected to meet Cuban leader Raul Castro formally for the first time. Both leaders will be attending the 35-nation Summit of the Americas in Panama on Friday and Saturday. It will be the first time a Cuban leader attends the Organization of American States (OAS) summit, which is usually dominated by the United States. Cuba is one of four countries still on the US list of countries accused of repeatedly supporting global terrorism; Iran, Sudan and Syria are others. Cuba was first put on the list in 1982 for offering sanctuary to militant ETA Basque separatists and Colombian Farc rebels. "The State Department's recommendation to remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, the result of a months-long technical review, is an important step forward in our efforts to forge a more fruitful relationship with Cuba," Senator Cardin said. If Mr Obama opts to accept the state department's recommendations, Congress would have 45 days to decide whether to override him. There are vocal critics in Congress of Mr Obama's efforts to reach a diplomatic detente with Cuba. US Senator Ted Cruz, a Cuban-American Republican, has been among President Obama's biggest critics on the issue. Correspondents say removing Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism will throw a stark light at the OAS summit in Panama on the US's relations with Venezuela. The Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro hopes to bring a petition signed by 10 million of his citizens urging Mr Obama to remove an order imposing sanctions against seven Venezuelan officials accused of human rights abuses in an opposition crackdown. Oil-rich Venezuela has many friends at the summit and other Latin American nations have criticised the order, which calls Caracas a US national security threat. President Obama has tried to reduce tensions with Venezuela ahead of the summit, saying the US did not perceive the country as a threat. "But we do remain very troubled by the Venezuelan government's efforts to escalate intimidation of its political opponents." he told the Spanish news agency EFE.
summary: The US State Department has recommended that Cuba be removed from its list of states said to sponsor terrorism, a member of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee says.