BEIRUT, Nov 11: Hizbollah called on Arab states on Sunday to resist pressure from the United States to freeze the guerrilla group’s financial assets.
Ammar al-Moussawi, a senior official, said Washington was seeking to destabilise Lebanon’s banking system and put pressure on Syria and Iran, who back Hizbollah’s war against Israeli troops occupying a disputed area in the foothills of the Golan Heights.
Lebanon last week rejected Washington’s request that it seize Hizbollah’s assets, raising concern among bankers about financial stability if the United States follows by imposing sanctions on local banks.
“There should be a firm Arab position on the necessity of separating resistance from terrorism,” Moussawi told Voice of the People, the radio station of the Lebanese Communist Party.
Under rules enacted after the September 11 attacks, Washington can block the holdings of foreign banks which refuse to freeze the assets of groups it deems “foreign terrorist organisations”.
The United States added Hizbollah to a list of 22 such groups on November 2 and said last week it was exploring the possibility of retaliatory financial action against Lebanon.
“The address is Hizbollah, but the target is Lebanon, Syria, Iran and regimes that do not take positions agreeing with US policy,” Moussawi said.—Reuters
