Bulgaria to Brief EU on Burgas Blast but Differences over Hizbullah Remain
Bulgaria's foreign minister, Nikolay Mladenov, will brief on Monday his European Union counterparts on the investigation into the deadly attack on Israeli tourists last year, which Sofia blamed on Hizbullah.
But the EU foreign ministers are not likely to take any measure against Hizbullah, including listing it as a terrorist organization, over differences between them.
Any decision on adding Hizbullah to the EU list of terrorist organizations would require a unanimous decision by the foreign ministers of all 27 EU countries.
Under EU law, to declare a group a terrorist organization there must be proof that those who control it are terrorists, not just that its members were involved in a terror plot. The designation would also require the EU to freeze Hizbullah's assets in Europe and to work to choke off further funds reaching the group.
Pan-Arab daily al-Hayat quoted French President Francois Hollande as saying that any French decision against the party hinges on the Bulgarian briefing.
Earlier this week, Bulgaria gave Europol the names of two of the people suspected in the bus bombing that killed five Israeli tourists on July 18, with hopes that the police agency can trace their movements and uncover how they financed the attack.
The European country has also requested that Lebanese authorities arrest and extradite the two suspects, who are believed to be living in Lebanon, an official said.
The bombing killed the Israeli tourists at the airport in the Black Sea resort of Burgas as well as a Bulgarian bus driver and a suspected bomber. Three men are suspected in the attack, including the dead bomber. The latter's identity has not been established. The names of the two other suspects, believed to still be alive, have not been released to the public.
The official Bulgarian report said investigators had "well-grounded reasons to suggest" that the two belonged to the militant wing of Hizbullah.
The report said they have been living in Lebanon for years, one with a Canadian passport and the other with an Australian one.
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