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EU needs no lessons from Bush on terrorism — Brussels
Jordan Times, 6/27/03
BRUSSELS (AFP) — The European Union needs no lessons from US President George W. Bush on tackling terrorism, Brussels said Thursday after Bush urged the EU to starve Hamas resistance group of money and support. “We bow to no one in our rejection of terrorism,” said a spokeswoman for EU External Relations Commissioner Chris Patten following an EU-US summit in Washington.
Bush used a post-summit press conference with European Commission President Romano Prodi and Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis to demand EU action against the Palestinian resistance group fighting Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands.
“I urge the leaders in Europe and around the world to take swift, decisive action against terror groups such as Hamas, to cut off their funding and support, as the United States has done,” the US president said.
Neither of his guests replied directly, after the EU put off a decision on adding the political wing of Hamas to an EU blacklist of terrorist organisations. The European Commission spokeswoman, Emma Udwin, said there was no question of EU money going directly to Hamas.
“We are not talking about community funding for Hamas. That does not exist; it never has done,” she said. “We're talking about whether Hamas has money hidden somewhere in Europe, so there are two issues here: Are there terrorist groups, not just Hamas, that receive funds from our friends in the region?
“Our aim is to put pressure on countries in the region to stop funding for all groups which do not support the (Middle East) roadmap,” Udwin said.
Hamas' armed wing, which routinely claims responsibility for suicide bombings, is on the EU blacklist. But Hamas' political wing, which also raises funds for the group, is not.
The United States makes no such distinction. Britain backs the US position, but France notably has warned that sidelining Hamas' political wing could be counterproductive amid efforts to revive the Middle East peace process.
On Wednesday, France's recalcitrance led EU ambassadors to put off a decision on cutting off Hamas' funding, which would require unanimity, diplomats said.
Still, in what has been read in Washington as a positive move, EU leaders warned Hamas in a joint statement last week to agree to a ceasefire or risk measures to cut off its financial support.
“Just because President Bush has mentioned the need to scrap financing of terrorist groups, we don't need to hear the message from the US to act,” Udwin added, citing the EU summit conclusions.
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| Earth, a planet hungry for peace |
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| The Israeli apartheid (security) wall around Palestinian population centers (Ran Cohen, pmc, 5/24/03). |
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| The Israeli apartheid (security) wall around Palestinian population centers in the West Bank (Ran Cohen, pmc, 5/24/03). |
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