Middle East News
US to seize assets of Syrians meddling in Lebanon (Roundup)
By DPA
Aug 2, 2007, 18:23 GMT

Washington - US assets of Syrians who undermine Lebanon's democratic government will be frozen, President George W Bush said Thursday in a new bid to curb Syria's influence in the Middle East.

Bush's executive order cited a 'national emergency,' saying that alleged efforts to 'reassert Syrian control or contribute to Syrian interference in Lebanon' posed a security threat to the United States.

The order will allow the US Treasury Department 'to freeze and seize property and other assets' of people who Washington deems threats to Lebanon's democracy and agents of Syrian influence there, State Department spokesman Tom Casey said.

No individuals targeted by the measure were immediately named.

The new order reinforces a web of US financial sanctions against US foes, including previous measures whose targets already include Syria, Casey said.

Syria withdrew its troops from Lebanon under intense international pressure after the February 2005 assassination of anti-Syrian former prime minister Rafiq Hariri. But the US still views Damascus as a disruptive force in the region.

Bush's statement came during a Middle East tour by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, aimed at bolstering US-friendly governments and rekindling Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts.