Lebanese FM rejects listing Hezbollah as terrorist organisation

Lebanon's caretaker Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour said Friday that he rejects putting the Hezbollah militant group on any terror list. In an interview with Assafir daily, Mansour said that Hezbollah is an integral part of Lebanon's national and political fabric, and therefore "we adamantly reject putting the party on any terror list." Mansour added that Israel and international powers are attempting to label the party as a terrorist group, which will not help achieve stability and security. As for the Syrian crisis, Mansour said that Lebanon has been adopting the policy of disassociation, stressing that "Lebanon does not back one Syrian side against the other." Hezbollah has come under criticism for reportedly fighting on the side of the Syrian government against rebels in the al-Qusayr area and in Damascus suburbs. The Lebanese foreign minister said "the Syrian army was not present in these regions, which were under the control of gunmen, so the residents cry for help." The European Union and Gulf Arab states are mulling over listing Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. Bahrain called for foreign ministers of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council to discuss the issue at a meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Sunday.