glenn1
Lifer
The French really need to be smacked upside the head :|
Story Link
Beirut cheered this weekend the omission of Hizbullah from the European Union?s list of terrorist organizations, as diplomatic sources pointed to France as the chief European supporter of Beirut?s efforts to distinguish terrorism from resistance. Diplomatic sources told The Daily Star over the weekend that Paris had played a key role in keeping Hizbullah off the list, which was published on Friday in the EU?s official gazette.
The sources described the French efforts as ?another good gesture by Paris toward Beirut,? following France?s active efforts earlier this month to overcome British reservations on a partnership accord between the EU and Lebanon, due to be initialed on Jan. 10, 2002.
For the second time, Paris insisted that Hizbullah was not a terrorist organization after British diplomats had repeated their call for distinguishing between the group?s terroristic ?External Security Organization? and its more acceptable, social domestic functions. ?This shows that Lebanon?s attitude with regard to Hizbullah is being more understood in calling for distinguishing between terrorism that we condemn and resistance of which we are proud,? Foreign Minister Mahmoud Hammoud said in a Saturday statement after being officially notified of Hizbullah?s absence from the EU list.
Hammoud said that the list ?had brought nothing new because the names of terrorist organizations were already included on the American list.?
In reply to a question about the definition of terrorism, Hammoud said that the EU did not provide a definition of terrorism, but offered examples of its occurrence.
Story Link
Beirut cheered this weekend the omission of Hizbullah from the European Union?s list of terrorist organizations, as diplomatic sources pointed to France as the chief European supporter of Beirut?s efforts to distinguish terrorism from resistance. Diplomatic sources told The Daily Star over the weekend that Paris had played a key role in keeping Hizbullah off the list, which was published on Friday in the EU?s official gazette.
The sources described the French efforts as ?another good gesture by Paris toward Beirut,? following France?s active efforts earlier this month to overcome British reservations on a partnership accord between the EU and Lebanon, due to be initialed on Jan. 10, 2002.
For the second time, Paris insisted that Hizbullah was not a terrorist organization after British diplomats had repeated their call for distinguishing between the group?s terroristic ?External Security Organization? and its more acceptable, social domestic functions. ?This shows that Lebanon?s attitude with regard to Hizbullah is being more understood in calling for distinguishing between terrorism that we condemn and resistance of which we are proud,? Foreign Minister Mahmoud Hammoud said in a Saturday statement after being officially notified of Hizbullah?s absence from the EU list.
Hammoud said that the list ?had brought nothing new because the names of terrorist organizations were already included on the American list.?
In reply to a question about the definition of terrorism, Hammoud said that the EU did not provide a definition of terrorism, but offered examples of its occurrence.
