BRUSSELS - Assets held in the European Union by former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak and 18 of his associates will be frozen, the bloc's foreign ministers agreed on Monday. Since he was ousted from power last month, Mubarak has been accused of having embezzled millions from state accounts, along with relatives and members of his discredited government. EU ministers decided 'the freezing of all funds and economic resources owned or controlled by persons identified as responsible for the misappropriation of Egyptian state funds, and natural or legal persons associated with them,' an EU statement said. 'The decision and the regulation target a list of 19 persons, including former president Hosny Mubarak,' it added. A diplomat told the German Press Agency dpa that the other persons are 'mainly Mubarak family members.' The full list of names is expected to be published in the EU's official journal in the coming days. The asset freeze will be effective from the date of publication.
