EU must act on Syria

European Union has finally decided to enlist Hezbollah’s armed wing as a terrorist group. The decision to put the group on the terror list was not an easy task, especially considering Hezbollah’s clout — political and military — in Lebanon. While the move required an undisputed vote from the 28-member EU, it reached a consensus after long marathon meetings among member states. The purpose of the whole exercise was make sure that the Hezbollah is not able to get any funds from its backers in Europe and other places. The EU’s decision came despite the fact the government of Lebanon had formally time and again demanded the EU offices to abstain from moving against Hezbollah, as the party held direct stakes in peace. It is problematic to differentiate between the group’s military and political wings and any act of force against the group would threaten the fragile status quo in Lebanon. In my opinion the EU could have rather focused its efforts on peace prospects in Syria. This policy of moving against a militant group and then backpedaling, as in the case of the Taleban and Tamil Tigers, has hardly helped matters. — Shaukat Naeem Ghumman, Riyadh