Jordan banks asked to freeze Hamas funds

AMMAN, Jordan, Sept. 15 (UPI) -- Jordan's central bank asked local banks to suspend dealings with leaders of Hamas and five Palestinian associations, a Jordanian newspaper said Monday.

Daily al-Rai said the bank was asked to freeze the assets of six Hamas leaders, including the group's spiritual leader and founder, Sheikh Ahmed Yassine; politburo chief, Khaled Mashaal; and politburo members Musa Abu Marzouk and Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi, in addition to two other senior officials, Osama Hamdan and Imad al-Alami.

The paper said the Palestinian associations to be blacklisted were the Relief and Charity Committee for Palestinians in France, the Association of Palestinian Salvation in Switzerland, the Palestinian relief and Development Fund in Britain, the Palestinian Association in Austria and al-Sanabel Relief and Development group in Lebanon.

U.S. President George Bush declared last month the U.S. treasury department had taken measures to freeze the assets of the same six Hamas leaders and five non-governmental Palestinian organizations.