Sources: EU putting Hezbollah on terror list

Military wing of Shiite group may soon find self on global blacklist, if EU has way. As militia's fighters get more involved in Syrian war, international pressure grows to reign them in
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The European Union stands poised to put the military wing of Lebanon's Hezbollah on its list of terrorist organizations, after a formal request to blacklist the group was filed by a member state Monday, diplomats said.
The request from Britain formally launches a process to blacklist the group, a move that has long been requested by Israel and which will be discussed in early June, several EU diplomats told AFP.
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The inclusion of Hezbollah, a Lebanese Shiite movement, on the list of terrorist organizations, requires a unanimous vote. The United States and Israel have been asking Europeans to take this step.
During an official visit to Brussels in March, President Shimon Peres called on the EU to take action against Hezbollah to stop this "terrorist "movement, adding that Hezbollah was involved in the war in Syria without permission from the Lebanese government.
Until now, some members of the EU, including France, were reluctant to go against Hezbollah, arguing in particular that such a move could destabilize Lebanon where Hezbollah plays a key political role, and that reprisals against UNIFIL might ensue.
Currently, only two members of the EU, the Netherlands and Britain, have Hezbollah on their national list of terrorist organizations. The Dutch authorities have outlawed all components of the Shiite movement, London only its military wing.
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