Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun on Tuesday said the EU's decision to blacklist Hizbullah's so-called armed wing was “based on false accusations,” noting that Lebanon has been suffering from "the wars waged by some of your countries in Syria."
“Today, I will limit my statement to one topic. I will send a message to the EU which has put Hizbullah's armed wing on the terror list,” said Aoun after the weekly meeting of the Change and Reform bloc.
Full StoryPrime Minister-designate Tammam Salam hoped on Tuesday that the European Union would retract its decision to list Hizbullah's military wing as a terrorist organization.
He said: “The decision goes against EU member states' repeated claims that they seek to help Lebanon overcome the complications on its internal scene.”
Full StorySpeaker Nabih Berri urged on Tuesday the European Union to retract its decision against Hizbullah, saying it underestimates justice and serves Israel.
“The EU should back off from its decision and the measures that without any doubt would target all the Lebanese and their interests in Europe,” Berri, who is also the head of the Amal movement that is allied with Hizbullah, said in a statement.
Full StoryThe army succeeded on Monday in arresting a suspect linked to the bombing of a Hizbullah convoy near the al-Masnaa border-crossing on July 16, reported the National News Agency on Tuesday.
It said that the army intelligence arrested a Syrian national in the Bekaa town of Majdal Anjal on suspicion of planting the explosive that targeted the convoy.
Full StoryPresident Michel Suleiman traveled on Monday to the United States on a private trip, the press office at Baabda palace said, confirming a report in Naharnet a day earlier that the head of state will make a previously unannounced trip.
The terse press release did not provide further details except for saying that Suleiman went on a several day visit.
Full StoryThe Head of the EU delegation, Angelina Eichhorst, said on Tuesday that the latest decision to blacklist Hizbullah's military wing would not affect the cooperation with the new Lebanese government even if the Shiite party had representatives in it.
“The EU differentiates between Hizbullah's political and military wing,” Eichhorst told reporters at Bustros Palace following talks with caretaker Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour.
Full StorySyria's main opposition National Coalition applauded on Tuesday the European Union's designation of the military wing of Hizbullah as a "terrorist organization,” saying that its leaders should be put on trial for their role in the Syrian war.
The coalition considered that the decision is a “step in the right direction,” stressing in a statement on the importance of taking “practical measures” to halt Hizbullah's involvement in battles in Syria.
Full StoryIran has denounced the European Union for its decision to blacklist Hizbullah's armed wing as a terror group, accusing it of acting in Israel's interests, Iranian media reported Tuesday.
Iran and Hizbullah are both sworn enemies of Israel and the Lebanese Shiite group has received Tehran's moral, financial and military support since its inception.
Full StoryAl-Mustaqbal movement voiced support to a decision to extend the mandate of Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji by at least one year, al-Joumhouria newspaper reported on Tuesday.
According to the newspaper, the decision came in light of a series of meetings held between former Prime Minister Saad Hariri and senior officials in al-Mustaqbal movement.
Full StoryCaretaker Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour has called for an emergency cabinet session to take a stance from a European Union decision to blacklist Hizbullah's military wing.
In remarks to several newspapers published on Tuesday, Mansour said: “The cabinet should hold an extraordinary session because this issue is linked to (Lebanon's) political life in general and would have repercussions” on the country.
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