Lahoud refuses freeze of bank accounts for Hamas
Lebanon-Palestine, Politics, 9/27/2003

The Lebanese President Emil Lahoud has interfered to clarify the Lebanese official position concerning disclosing the bank accounts of leading figures of the Islamic resistance movement ( Hamas) in the Lebanese banks.

The Lebanese dailies issued yesterday quoted Lahoud as expressing his support for the Palestinian resistance and refusing to undermine banking secrecy valid since 1956. This is however, an evidence on Lebanon's rejection to respond to the US demands to freeze the assets of leading figures in Hamas and five charity societies Washington alleges are close to Hamas.

The Lebanese president met with the governor of the Lebanese bank to learn the reasons that made him take this measure and asked him to return back to the political reference in dealing with issues of a political nature.

The measure taken by the governor of the Bank of Lebanon has raised negative reactions in Lebanon and in the Hamas movement.

Lebanese acting minister of information Ghazi al-Areidi said "we do not admit others definition of terrorism. For us Hizbullah is resistance and Hamas movement and other resistance movements in Palestine are also. Our view points regarding them are very different from that of others which consider them as terrorists."

Previous Stories:
  On te US request to Lebanon to freeze Hamas assets   (9/22/2003)
  Lahoud stresses Palestinians rights to return   (8/19/2003)
  Hariri, Hammoud discuss with Qaddoumi developments; Lebanon committed to support the Palestinians   (1/4/2003)

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