Bush presses EU on Hamas, genetically modified foods

US President George W. Bush yesterday called on European nations to cut off all funding for the Palestinian militant group Hamas, putting post Iraq-war relations with Europe under new strain.

Bush made the appeal directly to Romano Prodi, president of the executive European Commission, and Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis, whose country currently holds the EU presidency, during their Oval Office meeting at the start of an EU-US summit.

"He (Bush) called on all member-nations of the European Union to do everything in their power to cut off funding, specifically for Hamas," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer told reporters.

Bush also pressed EU leaders to end a ban on genetically modified foods.

"I think it's fair to say it's a matter that the European Union is looking at seriously. The president made his concerns known directly" during the summit, Fleischer said.

Ahead of the summit, Bush sounded anything but conciliatory over the ban, charging that it contributed to famine in Africa. Europeans dismissed the charge.

But Fleischer said Bush joked about the issue with European leaders. The American president wrapped up yesterday's morning meetings by telling EU leaders "'let's go eat some genetically modified food for lunch.' He said it with a big smile and everybody laughed," Fleischer said.

The United States has long listed Hamas as a whole as a "foreign terrorist organisation" and Bush has singled out the group as the biggest obstacle to a US- and European-backed "road map" peace initiative for Israel and the Palestinians.

Bush wants the European Union to follow Washington's lead by outlawing Hamas' political wing. But France, which opposed the US-led invasion of Iraq, has insisted that the group remains a necessary player in the peace process.

The military wing of Hamas, responsible for many suicide attacks on Israel since the 2000 launch of an uprising against occupation of Palestinian territories, is already on the EU's list of banned "terrorist" groups whose assets may be seized.

"Terror is terror, and terror needs to be fought in all of its forms," Fleischer said.

The United States is also pressing European governments to sideline long-time Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, whom Israel and Washington accuses of fomenting anti-Israel violence, an allegation he denies.