Several Lebanese officials slammed a European Union decision to blacklist Hezbollah’s military wing, as they called the regional bloc to reconsider the move.

Several Lebanese officials slammed a European Union decision to blacklist Hezbollah’s military wing, as they called the regional bloc to reconsider the move.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said the decision served Israeli interests.

“This decision in terms of timing and content expresses contempt for justice,” Berri said in a statement, adding that the EU action was not matched with a clear cause.

“The decision serves Israel free of charge,” he added.

 

 

 

Caretaker PM Najib Mikati announced that the Lebanese government rejects the EU resolution regarding Hezbollah and works to halt it via continuous contacts with all the EU states.

 

 

Prime minister-designate Tammam Salam hoped the EU would reconsider its decision, saying that labeling Hezbollah as terrorist group further complicates Lebanon’s political crisis.

“I hope the EU will reconsider its decision because such decision contradicts with the willingness of the countries of the European Union to help Lebanon overcome the complexities of its internal political situation, he said.

 

Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun considered that "the EU resolution that blacklists Hezbollah is based on false accusations."

"We hoped that the EU states would have supported the Lebanese resistance that liberated the nation's territories as the resistance in the  European countries defeated the invading enemies and granted freedom to its people," Aoun added.

 

 

For his part, Lebanese caretaker Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour has called for an emergency cabinet session to take a stance from the decision.

In remarks to several newspapers published on Tuesday, Mansour said: “The cabinet should hold an extraordinary session because this issue is linked to (Lebanon's) political life in general and would have repercussions” on the country.
“We should take the appropriate decision,” he added.

He warned that the Zionist entity would now find an EU-backed excuse to hit Hezbollah bases in Lebanon.

Meanwhile, chairman of the Higher Shiite Council Abdul Amir Qabalan condemned the European Union’s decision.
"We consider the EU decision an act of terrorism, and we call on the European Union to abolish this decision because it reflects injustice and avoidance," Qabalan said.