Washington, April 15 (IANS): US President Barack Obama told Congress his intent to remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, the White House said.

In a message to Congress on Tuesday, Obama certifies that the Cuban government "has not provided any support for international terrorism" over the past six months and it has provided assurances that it will not support terrorist acts in the future, Xinhua reported.

Obama and his Cuban counterpart Raul Castro announced in December a thaw in relations following more than five decades of enmity. Obama had instructed Secretary of State John Kerry to review Cuba's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism.

"After a careful review of Cuba's record, which was informed by the intelligence community, as well as assurances provided by the Cuban government, the Secretary of State concluded that Cuba met the conditions for rescinding its designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism," the White House said in a statement.