Nearly 100 U.S. congressman urged France’s president to add
Hezbollah to the European Union’s list of terrorist groups.
Ninety-one members of the House of Representatives sent a
letter to French President Nicholas Sarkozy explaining the far-reaching impact
an E.U. designation would have on the Lebanon-based, Iranian-backed Shi’ite
militia. They said a ban on the group would thwart Hezbollah’s European
fund-raising operations and end the ongoing flow of cash from Iran to Hezbollah
operatives in Europe.
“It is clear that Hezbollah has taken advantage of its
operational freedoms in Europe to fundraise and coordinate acts terror, and its
designation as a terrorist organization by the European Union is long
overdue,” said Rep. Robert Wexler (D-Fla.). “At a time when the
United States and the E.U. are working together to thwart Iran’s nuclear
development and punish Iran for its brazen defiance of the U.N., we must also
work together to confront its proxy organization—Hezbollah.”
