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Israel wants Hezbollah on EU terror list
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-03-01 09:27

Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom called on the European Union on Monday to add the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah to its list of terrorist groups — a step that Europe has so far been reluctant to take.

Shalom said he reiterated the long-standing Israeli request during a meeting with his Belgian counterpart, Karel De Gucht.

A body is evacuated from the scene of a suicide attack in Tel Aviv. Israeli officials briefed EU ambassadors on their allegations of a Syrian hand in a deadly Tel Aviv suicide bombing, as they stepped up their campaign to blacklist Lebanon's Hezbollah militia. [AFP/File]

Shalom told reporters that Hezbollah operates dozens of cells, works closely with violent Palestinian groups and offers them millions of dollars in assistance. "We see they make every effort to sabotage progress in the peace process," Shalom said.

De Gucht said the Israeli request "will be analyzed thoroughly" in Belgium, and that his government will take a formal stance on the issue ahead of upcoming EU talks on its list of terrorist groups. The EU talks are expected sometime after March, he said.

The United States has also sought to persuade the EU to list Hezbollah as a terrorist group. But the European nations are divided on the issue, with France and several others objecting. The opponents say that the situation in Lebanon is too delicate for abrupt changes in EU policy.

Hezbollah has emerged as a major threat to a Feb. 8 Israeli-Palestinian truce. Palestinian officials have accused the guerrilla group of being behind a weekend suicide bombing that killed five Israelis in a bid to derail the cease-fire.

Israeli officials have blamed Syria for the attack. Islamic Jihad, a radical Palestinian group that is funded by Iran and based in the Syrian capital of Damascus, claimed responsibility.

Shalom said he hopes Europe will put greater pressure on Syria and Iran "to end their support for terror."

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