Bulgaria back in line with EU on Hezbollah bomb link

         
Bulgaria will not impede a push to put Hezbollah's armed wing on the European Union's terrorism blacklist because the new government, after wavering on the issue, has now decided to fall into line with its fellow EU members, diplomats said.    

A Black Sea state of 7 million people, Bulgaria was thrust to the front of Middle Eastern diplomacy when the previous government blamed Hezbollah for a bombing that killed five Israeli tourists and a driver in a Bulgarian resort last year.    

The accusation played a central part in a Western diplomatic push to blacklist the Lebanon-based group, an effort which has acquired new urgency since its fighters started helping government forces in Syria's civil war.    

Bulgaria alarmed many of its EU partners this month when Foreign Minister Kristian Vigenin, from the new Socialist government, backed away from that stance and questioned whether there was enough proof of Hezbollah's role.    

However, since then Bulgaria has been lobbied by other EU states and has decided to change direction again, according to two Western diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity.    

"It seems that the new government has been testing its limits and has tried to see how far it may go, but once they got a reaction they quickly stepped back," one diplomat said.    

The second diplomat said: "Vigenin has now stated publicly that the position of Bulgaria is unchanged. I believe the government will stick to this position."    

Hezbollah has denied any involvement in the bus bombing.    


REUTERS