The European Union is said to be divided over whether to
place Hizbullah on the EU's new list of terrorist organizations.
European diplomatic sources said several states support placing
Hizbullah on the terror list. These countries are led by Britain and
Germany.
Five EU states are said to oppose deeming Hizbullah as a terrorist
group. They are Belgium, France, Greece, Spain and Sweden.
[On Thursday, three Lebanese soldiers were killed when troops tried to
capture a Palestinian fugitive near the Ein Hilwe refugee camp outside
Sidon. They were the first casualties reported since the Beirut government
launched a crackdown on Palestinian insurgents based in refugee camps around
the country.]
Earlier this month, French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin told a
news conference in Beirut that the EU did not intend to place Hizbullah on
the European list of terrorist groups. De Villepin relayed such a message to
both Lebanese and Syrian leaders during his current Middle East tour.
Still, diplomatic sources reported intensive consultations over the last
week between European capitals regarding the Hizbullah issue. They said the
United States has pressed the EU to follow Washington's lead and place
Hizbullah on the European terrorist list.
In Damascus, a U.S. Senate delegation has met Syrian leaders to
discuss their support of Hizbullah. The delegation, led by Senate
Intelligence Committee chairman Sen. Robert Graham, was told by Damascus
that it will not change its policy toward Hizbullah.
The EU requires a unanimous vote to place any organization or individual
on the terrorist list. So far, several members of Hizbullah, including
foreign operations chief Imad Mughniyeh, appear on the list.
The diplomatic sources said the attitude of EU countries regarding
Hizbullah stems largely from the support of those governments for relations
with Iran, the sponsor of the Lebanese movement. Belgium Foreign Minister
Louis Michel has been one of the few EU foreign ministers to have visited
Teheran.
Hizbullah is said to have increased its activities in Europe. The
sources said the center of such activity is Germany.
German relations with both Iran and its ally, Syria, have soured in
recent months. German-Syrian relations were reported to have deteriorated
after Damascus refused to allow German diplomats to meet a German national
imprisoned in Syria and charged with being a key Al Qaida operative.
