Chirac rejects FM's request to add Hezbollah to EU terror list

[bemildred]

French President Jacques Chirac on Monday rebuffed Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom's request to add the militant Hezbollah organization to the European Union's list of terror organizations.

During a meeting with Shalom on Monday afternoon, Chirac said France's efforts in the coming weeks will be focused primarily on the democratic process in Lebanon and the upcoming elections to be held in two months.

Shalom made the request during a meeting with his French counterpart Michel Barnier earlier this month.

The EU will hold an initial discussion on the Israeli request, which is based on the danger posed by Hezbollah to new Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas.

Haaretz

[yinkaafrica]

1. You can add Hez if you add Mossad and the IDF

Then we need to round all these people up.
I believe that would result in some true positive
movement in the Middle East.

[bemildred]

2. I prefer dispensing with the category myself.

The notion of a designated bad guy list is dumb, IMHO,
as is the idea of good violence and bad violence. But as
long as violence is considered a normal and workable
way to pursue policy, I expect we are all collectively
screwed in that regard.

[Igel]

3. Hard to declare a political party, social works program, and

a militia that could plunge Lebanon in a sea of fire, a terrorist organization. Especially when Syria and the ever problematic Iran support it, and the local government is all but held hostage.

I can't come up with a decent parallel any place else in the world.

Funded by two governments that can't possibly be working together under standard assumptions (one Sunni, one Shi'ite) but which collaborate in hating the same "entity" that Hizbullah hates, with one of those governments having a significant troop presence in the country in spite of the fact they promised over a decade ago to be gone by now; the de facto government in a portion of the country, with their own militia, but with the central government afraid to do anything about them; fighting over an piece of ground occupied by Israel that was given by the original "owner" to Lebanon after Israeli occupation began, arguably solely to legitimize Hizbullah's continued ... um ... "internal struggle".

Seriously. If that situation didn't exist and I made it up in a novel it would be beyond what mere suspension of belief would allow.

[Coastie for Truth]

4. Baruch Goldstein

Just to be a "Devil's Advocate" -- or the guy who has flatus at dinner -- Baruch Goldstein - before he became a Bal T'shuvah religious fundie kook -- was actually quite involved in the practice of pediatrics in underserved "poverty" communities -- and published on the effect of "early intervention".

Check him out at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi


I did - and while I still regard him as the essence of evil - he did (like Hezbollah and Hamas) have some positive attributes. He never set out to be a gazillionaire society doc. He served a poor South Bronx community. (Just shows what happens when you "come to Moshe Rabbainu" and become "Bal Tshuvah" ---The Jewish version of "Coming To Jesus" and being "Born Again" --- but I don't know if he was a dry drunk).

DISCLAIMER, DISCLAIMER, DISCLAIMER

I am no fan of Goldstein. But many, many years ago I worked with the father of a notorious serial killer. And after Goldstein's massacre in Hebron - I wanted to see what made this guy tick. Never could figure him out (from the open literature).

The serial killer whose father I worked with? He started out blowing up kittens and puppies.

DISCLAIMER, DISCLAIMER, DISCLAIMER