EU Kickstarts Discussions on Blacklisting Hizbullah Military Wing
European Union countries mulled on Tuesday placing Hizbullah's military wing on its list of terrorist organizations ahead of a wide meeting for EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg on June 24.
According to As Safir newspaper, several EU countries, including Austria are questioning the “motives behind blacklisting Hizbullah.”
A source told the newspaper that Hizbullah's military wing will be probably enlisted on the list for “it's terrorist behavior.”
However, diplomats say that the EU fears that enrolling Hizbullah's military wing on it's list of terrorist organizations could impact stability in Lebanon.
The 27 EU members states should agree on adding Hizbullah to the list.
Britain already has Hizbullah's military wing on its terror list, while the Netherlands blacklists the whole organization.
An Nahar newspaper reported that several EU countries rejected a request by Britain during Tuesday's closed-door meeting to impose sanctions on the party's military wing, arguing that such a decision would have negative repercussions on stability in the region.
Britain debates that there is “concrete” evidence that Hizbullah is responsible for the July 2012 Burgas attack.
Earlier in May, France sought to call for the military arm of Hizbullah to be added to an European Union terror blacklist due to its backing of the Syrian regime.
Both Israel and the United States have pressured the 27-member bloc to follow their example and designate Hizbullah as a terrorist group but the issue remained sensitive and divisive.
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