FRANCE: HEZBOLLAH NOT A TERROR GROUP

France: Hizballah is not a terror group (JPost)
Hizbullah is part of Lebanese politics and must not be regarded as a terror organization, said the French Foreign Ministry in a statement Thursday night.

The statement was an apparent about-turn by France after President Nicolas Sarkozy said that Hizbullah was indeed a terrorist group when he met with the captured IDF soldiers’ families in Paris last week. Thursday’s statement was prompted by protests from Hizbullah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah.

France is scheduled to host a conference Saturday bringing together representatives of rival Lebanese leaders, including senior Hizbullah representatives, in an effort to address the Lebanon’s political deadlock.