A picture taken on November 11, 2009, shows Hezbollah fighters, holding up Lebanese flags and the yellow flag of the militant Shia group, as they parade on the occasion of Martyr’s Day in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
BEIRUT: Prime Minister Najib Mikati said Lebanon regrets the European Union’s decision yesterday to blacklist Hezbollah’s armed wing, but said Beirut will maintain its relations with EU members.
“We will follow up on the issue through diplomatic channels, while we wish the EU countries had carried out a careful reading of the facts and sought out more information,” Mikati said. “Lebanese society, in all its components, is keen to abide by international law and to maintain excellent relations with EU member states,” he said in a statement.
The United States applauded the EU designation of the military wing of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah as a “terrorist organization”, US Secretary of State John Kerry said. “With today’s action, the EU is sending a strong message to Hezbollah that it cannot operate with impunity,” Kerry said in a statement, calling the move by the European Union “an important step.”
Kerry said the designation showed “there are consequences” for Hezbollah’s actions, “including last year’s deadly attack in Burgas, Bulgaria, and for plotting a similar attack in Cyprus.
“This designation will have a significant impact on Hezbollah’s ability to operate freely in Europe by enabling European law enforcement agencies to crack down on Hezbollah’s fundraising, logistical activity, and terrorist plotting on European soil.”
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the EU decision, saying the Iran-backed Shia group has imposed a “terrorist” rule on large parts of Lebanon.
“I welcome the fact that the EU has also declared Hezbollah to be a terrorist organisation and I thank the leaders of its member states,” Netanyahu said in a statement.
Hezbollah “has imposed terrorist rule on wide sections of Lebanon, has converted them into an Iranian protectorate and is stockpiling tens of thousands of rockets there. “These have been placed in the heart of civilian populations and are designed to be fired at population centres in Israel,” he said.
Hezbollah, which is close to Iran, is Israel’s sworn enemy and the militant group’s recent involvement in Syria alongside President Bashar Al Assad’s forces has also dismayed Western powers which back rebels battling the Damascus regime.
Israeli President Shimon Peres said the blacklisting of Hezbollah’s armed wing was a significant step. “I welcome the European Union’s decision regarding Hezbollah, a significant and necessary step towards putting an end to the spread of terror across the globe,” Peres said.
“Your decision sends a clear message to terror organisations, and the countries which harbour them, that their murderous actions will not be tolerated,” he said in a separate statement. Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi Livni said the EU move dismisses claim that Hezbollah is a political party.
“Finally, after years of deliberations, the claim that Hezbollah is a legitimate political party has rightfully failed. Now it is clear to the entire world that Hezbollah is a terrorist organisation”, Livni said in a statement. Israel and Hezbollah fought a deadly war in the summer of 2006.
Agencies
