Lebanon Asks EU Not to Put Hezbollah on Terror List

In a statement issued by Baabda presidential palace on Thursday, President MichelSleiman said he tasked the caretaker foreign minister, Adnan Mansour, with instructing Lebanon’s representative to the EU to submit the request.
 
The statement said the party should not be labeled a terrorist organization “particularly if the decision is taken in haste and without reliance on objective and firm evidence.”
 
Diplomatic sources said European foreign ministers were set to decide on Monday whether or not to blacklist the military wing of Hezbollah.
 
European governments have been deadlocked over the issue since May when Britain asked for the party’s military wing to be put on the EU terror list, saying that Hezbollah was behind a deadly bus bombing in Bulgaria last year.
 
Several EU capitals had objected, arguing such a move could destabilize Lebanon where Hezbollah is part of the government, and questioning whether there was sufficient evidence linking the group to the attack in the seaside resort of Burgas.
 
Before further talks on the issue in the coming days, the EU's Catherine Ashton suggested a compromise that could allay concerns that a blacklisting would complicate the EU's relations with Lebanon.
 
Two EU diplomats told Reuters news agency the proposal suggests including a statement the EU "should continue dialogue with all political parties in Lebanon" and maintain funding to Beirut.