Monday, February 22, 2010

EU to issue passport warning in wake of Dubai hit

The European Union is expected to issue a statement Monday condemning the use of European passports - some of them forged - during the assassination of Hamas official Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai last month.

According to a senior European diplomatic source, the statement will not directly cite Israel, nor is it expected to link Israel with the assassination or the forging of passports.

The diplomat said EU ambassadors had been summoned for consultations by Foreign Ministry officials in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.

During the meeting, Abu Dhabi officials requested that EU foreign ministers, who will convene in Brussels today for a conference, issue a communique over the use of European passports in the Mabhouh operation. The UAE is also demanding an explicit EU statement supporting the Emirates' authorities who are investigating the case.

According to the European source, the UAE government did not blame Israel for carrying out the assassination nor did it request that Israel be cited in the EU statement.

Source : http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1151406.html

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