British, Dutch urge sanctions against Lebanon’s Hezbollah

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Britain and the Netherlands urged other EU governments on Friday to join the United States in imposing sanctions on the Lebanese political and militant group Hezbollah for providing support to Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad.

Dutch Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal said the European Union should brand Hezbollah a terrorist organization, a move that would enable the bloc to freeze the group’s assets in Europe.

“We have for quite some time now argued that effective European measures should be taken against Hezbollah,” Rosenthal said on the sidelines of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Cyprus to discuss the EU’s response to the Syrian crisis.

The Netherlands considers the Shi’ite Islamist movement, which is a member of the Lebanese government, a terrorist group, while Britain reserves the designation for Hezbollah’s armed wing.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said London would like to see the EU “designate and sanction the military wing of Hezbollah”.

But other EU member states, which have blacklisted the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, have resisted U.S. and Israeli pressure to do the same to Hezbollah.

The powerful group is allied with Iran and was designated by the United States as a terrorist organization in the 1990s.

Several EU countries have argued that such a move could destabilize the balance of power in Lebanon and add to tensions in the Middle East.

Some European diplomats say it would also be legally difficult to blacklist Hezbollah without a court ruling in an EU state that linked the group to terrorism.

“Until now the Europeans have said that to designate a group as a terrorist organization you have to have a judicial process under way against this organization, which is not the case at the present time,” said French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius.

Such a connection might eventually come from a Bulgarian investigation into a deadly bombing of Israeli tourists in a Black Sea resort in July, if the probe confirms Israeli accusations that Hezbollah masterminded the attack with Iran.

Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nikolai Mladenov said the investigation was not yet finished and Bulgaria was not ready to accuse anyone.

“It’s moving forward quite rapidly but will take at least another couple of months,” he told Reuters. “A report (from such an investigation) needs to be able to stand up in court. This is why we are being very careful in what we say.”

Hezbollah and Iran have denied being behind the bombing.

In August, Washington imposed a new round of largely symbolic sanctions against Syria and Hezbollah and said it hoped other countries would take action against the Lebanese group.

The U.S. Treasury said Hezbollah had given training and logistical support to Syria’s government. Assad, in turn, provided the group with arms, support and a route for weapons from its main patron, Iran, it said.

Syrian rebels, fighting an uprising against Assad for that last 17 months, also say Tehran has sent its Revolutionary Guards and Hezbollah fighters against them.

Iran denies giving material support to help crush the uprising.

Hezbollah was set up in 1982 with the help of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards to fight Israeli forces which had invaded Lebanon.

Britain, France and Germany also called on Friday for new sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program.

Chicago Tribune

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10 responses to “British, Dutch urge sanctions against Lebanon’s Hezbollah”

  1. It is funny, that Britain listed the IRA as a terrorist organization. But not Hezbollah?  Their has been enough terrorist and criminal acts that Hezbollah has carried out in over twenty years, to easily warrant to be a terrorist organization. Not only terrorist, but also a criminal organization, due to the criminal activities they carry out, besides terrorism.

    In other words, countries need to recognize Hezbollah as a terrorists and be on the look out for them and stop all activities they carry out in their countries, including fund raising. And the UN Interpol needs to list them also, since they carry out many crimes in Lebanon and around the world.

    It is time for the world to list Hezbollah as terrorist and not change it, until they turn over their arms and just stay in the political arena in Lebanon.

    1. breakthemould Avatar
      breakthemould

       You could say the same thing about the state of Israel and their Mosaad. Recent activity in Dubai????? and in a hotel full of guests. What do you call a man who suffocates a hotel guest with a pillow? criminal? or diplomat or peace loving from a democratic country,that hotel was not in a battlefield

  2. It is funny, that Britain listed the IRA as a terrorist organization. But not Hezbollah?  Their has been enough terrorist and criminal acts that Hezbollah has carried out in over twenty years, to easily warrant to be a terrorist organization. Not only terrorist, but also a criminal organization, due to the criminal activities they carry out, besides terrorism.

    In other words, countries need to recognize Hezbollah as a terrorists and be on the look out for them and stop all activities they carry out in their countries, including fund raising. And the UN Interpol needs to list them also, since they carry out many crimes in Lebanon and around the world.

    It is time for the world to list Hezbollah as terrorist and not change it, until they turn over their arms and just stay in the political arena in Lebanon.

    1. breakthemould Avatar
      breakthemould

       You could say the same thing about the state of Israel and their Mosaad. Recent activity in Dubai????? and in a hotel full of guests. What do you call a man who suffocates a hotel guest with a pillow? criminal? or diplomat or peace loving from a democratic country,that hotel was not in a battlefield

  3. 5thDrawer Avatar

    Really getting tired of that ancient picture. Isn’t there something on file that’s better??

  4. 5thDrawer Avatar

    Really getting tired of that ancient picture. Isn’t there something on file that’s better??

  5. Syrian Mujaheddin captured big war booty! Allah Hu Akhbar !! over 10,000 guns and ammo! videos are coming out on youtube. In the mean time you can search it on you tube as follows 

    عملية نوعية الجيش الحر يستولي على 10.000 بارودة

  6. Syrian Mujaheddin captured big war booty! Allah Hu Akhbar !! over 10,000 guns and ammo! videos are coming out on youtube. In the mean time you can search it on you tube as follows 

    عملية نوعية الجيش الحر يستولي على 10.000 بارودة

  7. It is more clearer than daylight who the munaffiqiin are. (They are the lying backstabbing hyprocrites who claim to be your brother and sisters in islam, and double deal with you. they are more dangerous than your open enemies, because they hide behind the shahaadeh ( kalimaatul tayibah.). Through their innovations in their worship(bidaah) they have been led far astray . And whoever is far astray is destined for FIRE. They no longer know the difference between HAQ(Truth) and BAATIL(Falsehood ). That is the state of the Shia and Alawiis. They must denounce their way and beg for forgiveness , if they want to receive guidance. But in their current state they are more dangerous than the kuffar(the disbelievers) . They cannot be trusted one single iota. Are you part of the Haq or are you baatil. Evil will triump when “GOOD” people  do “NOTHING”.

  8. It is more clearer than daylight who the munaffiqiin are. (They are the lying backstabbing hyprocrites who claim to be your brother and sisters in islam, and double deal with you. they are more dangerous than your open enemies, because they hide behind the shahaadeh ( kalimaatul tayibah.). Through their innovations in their worship(bidaah) they have been led far astray . And whoever is far astray is destined for FIRE. They no longer know the difference between HAQ(Truth) and BAATIL(Falsehood ). That is the state of the Shia and Alawiis. They must denounce their way and beg for forgiveness , if they want to receive guidance. But in their current state they are more dangerous than the kuffar(the disbelievers) . They cannot be trusted one single iota. Are you part of the Haq or are you baatil. Evil will triump when “GOOD” people  do “NOTHING”.

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