Dutch want Hezbollah added to EU terror list

2 November 2004

AMSTERDAM — Dutch Foreign Minister Ben Bot has called for the Lebanese militant organisation Hezbollah to be added to the European Union’s list of terrorist organisations.

This would lead to the freezing of all assets Hezbollah is known to have in EU member states.

The Iranian-backed Shiite organisation has been on the US list of terrorist organisations for several years and Canada listed it as a terrorist organisation in 2002.

Speaking in the Dutch Parliament on Monday, Bot said until now the European Union had made a distinction between Hezbollah’s political and military wings.

Bot said it was acknowledged that there was a clear link between the political party and the militant side which was responsible for numerous deadly attacks.

Hezbollah, or the Party of God, was established by former members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard after Israel invaded Lebanon in 1982. The organisation claims its military operations — including suicide bombings — was one of the main reasons for Israel’s withdrawal in 2000.

Hezbollah also operates numerous charities and provides public services to the locals in its strongholds in southern Beirut and southern Lebanon.

The EU list of terrorist organisations was last updated in April this year. The list includes the names of 26 people and 25 organisations, including the Palestinian organisation Hamas which has both a charitable and military wing.

The EU introduced the back list as a direct response to the September 11 terror attacks in the US.

Subject: Dutch news + Hezbollah