Europeans raise concerns with Hezbollah sanctions bill
European officials are worried about crippling Lebanon's economy even as Beirut's bankers say they're OK with the House-passed Hezbollah sanctions bill
European officials, not the Lebanese, are the ones raising sharp questions about Hezbollah sanctions legislation that unanimously passed the House in July.
France and Great Britain in particular have warned Congress and the State Department about risks to Lebanon's economy, Lebanese and Capitol Hill sources tell Al-Monitor. The legislation has stalled in the Senate partly as a result, but the bill's backers are confident they can address any concerns.
"The French and British and others were concerned about the bill unintentionally crashing the Lebanese economy because of economic flight," one senior congressional aide told Al-Monitor.
Lebanese bank officials by contrast have said they can live with the new restrictions, especially after lawmakers removed a lengthy "findings" section that could have cast the country's financial sector in a negative light.
