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Hamas U.S. assets frozen

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

Washington aug. 23. In the aftermath of the deadly bombing of Tuesday in Jerusalem that killed 20 people, the U.S. President, George W Bush, has said that the U.S. will continue to remain engaged In West Asia.

Coming down hard on the Hamas, he has ordered the Treasury Department to freeze the assets of six of its top leaders as well as five European charities that the administration believes is sending money to the militants. "I think it's important for the United States to continue to remain engaged, and I will,'' Mr. Bush said. "We'll just keep working the issue hard and remind people of this important fact — if people want there to be peace in the Middle East (West Asia), if the Palestinians want to see their own state, they've got to dismantle the terrorist networks.''

The six Hamas leaders identified are based in Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank or the Gaza Strip and the five European charities are based in France, Britain, Switzerland, Austria and Lebanon. It is said that this is the first time that Washington is directing attention on elements of the Hamas outside the U.S.

Unnamed administration officials are quoted saying they have received encouraging signs that European nations will follow the American lead. But it is being pointed out that Europe has said that there needs to be a differentiation between groups supporting the political wing as opposed to those backing the military wing of the Hamas.

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