Hamas calls on EU to rebuff U.S. demands for freezing of funds

The Associated Pres

BEIRUT, Lebanon -- Europe should reject U.S. demands to freeze the funds of Hamas officials and pro-Palestinian charities, the Lebanese representative of the Hamas militant group said Saturday.

On Friday, the United States froze the assets of six Hamas leaders after the organization claimed responsibility for Tuesday's suicide attack on a packed bus in Jerusalem that killed 21 people, including six children. Five Americans were among those killed.

President Bush called on "all nations supportive of peace in the Middle East" to freeze Hamas funds. U.S. officials said they hoped European nations would also issue orders freezing such assets.

But the Hamas spokesman called on Europe to reject Bush's request.

"We call on the countries that the Americans are trying to pressure not to respond to the pressure," Osama Hamdan told The Associated Press. He said the "American decisions ... are based on Israel's interests."

The United States also froze the assets of five European-based organizations it accused of raising money for the radical Palestinian group.

Those charities are the Committee for Charity and Aid for the Palestinians, which is based in France; the Association for Palestinian Aid in Switzerland; the Palestinian Relief and Development Fund, or Interpal, based in Britain; the Palestinian Association in Austria; and the Sanabel Endowment for Relief and Development, based in Lebanon.

The Sanabel Endowment denied having any links to Hamas and expressed "astonishment at the unjustified" freeze.

"The endowment has nothing to do with any Palestinian movement or organization, be it the Hamas movement or any other, and offers its services to all the sons of the Palestinian people in Lebanon," it said in a statement faxed to The Associated Press in Beirut.

The charity said it sponsors more than 12,000 orphans and helps Palestinian refugee families in need.