[Baltimore Sun] Aaron Resnick - As countries join the UN mission meant to bolster the cease-fire in south Lebanon between Israel and Hizballah, the European Union continues to block implementation of one of its own counterterrorism programs aimed at breaking official ties with terrorist groups and seizing any European-based terrorist assets. Even in the wake of Hizballah rocket attacks that killed dozens of Israeli civilians and sent hundreds of thousands into shelters or fleeing northern Israel this summer, the 25-member EU has yet to classify Hizballah as a terrorist organization. Brussels may feel it has influence over Hizballah because of historical ties to the Middle East. But EU unwillingness to declare it a terrorist organization when it has killed, injured, kidnapped, and terrorized thousands of Americans, Europeans, and Israelis furthers the EU's reputation as a weak actor on international security. If the EU will not now consider Hizballah a terrorist organization, when will it ever?
2006-10-13 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive