No Direct Threat for Bulgaria over Blacklisting of Hezbollah - MEP

Politics » BULGARIA IN EU | July 23, 2013, Tuesday // 17:36
Bulgaria: No Direct Threat for Bulgaria over Blacklisting of Hezbollah - MEP Bulgarian socialist MEP Ivaylo Kalfin, photo by BGNES

Bulgaria is not directly threatened by the decision of the EU to list the armed wing of Hezbollah as a terrorist group, according to Bulgarian socialist MEP Ivaylo Kalfin.

"I believe that EU Foreign Ministers, who adopted the decision unanimously yesterday, have a good reason to do so. The Bulgarian assertion of a link between the terror attack at the Sarafovo airport and Hezbollah is not the only motive behind it, and in this sense, Bulgaria is not directly threatened. However, dangers must not be underestimated and the level of alertness in the EU as a whole must increase," Kalfin stated, as cited by his press office.

He was adamant, however, that the EU had to prepare for Hezbollah's response.

"I do not believe that there is an immediate risk, but we must not turn a blind eye to it and Europe must take into account the fact that security risks as a whole are increasing," he stated.

Bulgaria's socialist MEP commented that it was yet to be seen how the decision would be implemented, adding that the most likely consequences included quitting funding for the organization, banning certain persons from entering the EU, and freezing bank assets in some European banks.

Kalfin claimed that the decision of EU Foreign Ministers was moderate because it only concerned the armed wing of the organization and at the same time confirmed that political contacts with Hezbollah would be preserved.

EU's Foreign Affairs Council decided on Monday to put the armed wing of Hezbollah on the EU's list of terrorist organizations.

The decision came one year after the July 18 tragic incident at the Burgas airport, which killed seven, including five Israeli tourists, the Bulgarian bus driver, and the perpetrator of the attack.

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Tags: Ivaylo Kalfin, MEP, Hezbollah, Sarafovo, Burgas bus bombing, terrorist organization, terror act, EU Foreign Affairs Council

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