Written question asked by David Drew (Labour) on Tuesday, 14 June 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 16 June 2005. It was answered by Kim Howells (Labour) on Wednesday, 22 June 2005 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Hezbollah

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans the UK has to recognise Hezbollah.

Answer: The UK has no plans to recognise Hezbollah. The UK only recognises states, not non-state actors.Hezbollah is a political, social, religious and self-styled national resistance movement. The UK proscribed part of Hezbollah, the External Security Organisation, as a terrorist organisation in February 2001 under the Terrorism Act 2000. In this context we keep the behaviour of Hezbollah, and its status, under constant review.In December 2001 our embassy in Beirut initiated contacts with Hezbollah, with ministerial approval. Since then there has been irregular contact. The last such contact with Hezbollah was in February 2005. In discussions with Hezbollah, British officials made clear the Government's well-known opposition to terrorism and the importance of Hezbollah's ending attacks on Israel and reducing tension along the Blue Line. No further such meetings are planned.

Secondary information