| Saturday, November 10, 2001, updated at 12:06(GMT+8) |
Lebanon Rejects US Request to Freeze Hezbollah Assets |
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Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri on Friday officially turned down the US request to freeze assets of Lebanese resistance guerrilla group Hezbollah, or Party of God.
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Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri on Friday officially turned down the US request to freeze assets of Lebanese resistance guerrilla group Hezbollah, or Party of God.
During talks with US Ambassador to Lebanon Vincent Battle in Beirut, Hariri rejected that Hezbollah is a terrorist organization, stressing that the Lebanese authorities will not freeze its assets at the US request, Hariri's Information Office said in a statement.
"Clearly there is a lot to discuss in this regard, and we understand that the view of the Lebanese government with respect to our request are framed by this position," Battle said after the talks.
"We understand very clearly the basis of the decision and will continue discussing this decision with the Lebanese government at several different levels and look forward to cooperation," he said.
Washington last Friday announced a list of 22 terrorist groups, including Hezbollah and some Palestinian factions, adding to 66 bodies and individuals on two earlier lists whose global assets, at Washington's request, should be frozen.
Lebanon insists that Hezbollah, who spearheaded resistance against Israel's occupation of south Lebanon, be differentiated from terrorist organizations.
The group's resistance led to Israel's troop pullout from south Lebanon in May 2000 after a 22-year occupation.
Hezbollah vows to continue fighting against Israel as long as it occupies the disputed Shebaa Farms on the Syrian-Lebanese-Israeli borders.
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