EU Foreign Ministers on Monday heard a statement by Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nickolay Mladenov on the results of his country’s probe into the bus bombing in Burgas which killed five Israeli tourists and the Bulgarian driver in July 2012.
Despite the fact that the Bulgarian probe links the terrorist attack to Hezbollah, the ministers didn’t take any decision to add the Lebanse Shiite group to the EU list of terror organizations.
The Bulgarian Foreign Minister had “asked to make a statement about the ongoing situation” regarding Hezbollah, EU foreign Minister Catherine Ashton said upon her arrival at the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting Monday morning, adding that she was committed to looking “very carefully at what he says and what the issues now are”.
"The EU ministers will probably analyse the Bulgarian report before taking any decision, which can take some time," a diplomatic source told EJP.
Any decision to blacklist the Lebanese Shiite group needs the unanimity of the 27 member states.
“We believe the attack that happened in Burgas last year was organized by people connected to the military wing of Hezbollah,” Mladenov said.
The Bulgarian minister reportedly told his colleagues that the investigation was “ongoing” and that his country’s was in contact with the Lebanese, Canadese and Australian authorities, as well as with Europol., the European Union’s law enforcement agency.
Although the identities of the three perpetrators have not been confirmed, it was reported that the three were Lebanese natives in possession of foreign passports - two of them hailing from Canada and one Australian.
Key incriminating factors are thought to include a computer printout in Beirut, DNA traces on a used SIM card and several suspicious telephone calls.
Mladenov told reporters Europe should take “collective measures” in coordination with all 27 EU member states against Hezbollah.
Asked whether that meant the EU should blacklist the movement, he replied: "Given the fact that we've already made quite firm statements about where we believe the responsibility for that attack lies, I think the answer is quite obvious".
“We in Europe need to take collective measures to make sure that such attacks will never happen again on EU soil, that we are protected as the EU,” he said.
“We must send a strong message to the rest of the world that activities like this are unacceptable, no matter where they are planned or executed,” he added.
But he said that the debate on the EU level was in its initial phases and that it was too early to call for a specific decision which must be reached via consensus.
"Some EU members think that Hezbollah should be included in the terror list, some think this should be done only with respect to its military wing, still others prefer individual sanctions," he explained.
"The EU has different options for action, but inaction is not an open option," the minister said.
Only two EU countries currently label Hezbollah a terrorist organization—the UK and the Netherlands. The UK blacklists only the military wing of the organization.
France appeared to have softened its traditionally staunch opposition to blacklisting Hezbollah, saying "all options" were on the table, provided the evidence is strong.