By Kim Ghattas BBC correspondent in Beirut

Hamas is not regarded as a terrorist organisation by Lebanon

The denial comes just hours after reports that the central bank's anti-money laundering arm had asked all Lebanese banks to disclose any accounts belonging to a list of Hamas leaders and Hamas-related charities but without ordering any freeze of assets.

The list of names was the same as that issued by the US administration in late August after a suicide attack in Jerusalem that killed 24 people, for which Hamas claimed responsibility.

Lebanon's Central Bank Governor, Riad Salameh, has said the Bank would never do anything that violates Lebanon's banking secrecy laws.

'Technical step'

He also stressed that the Bank's policies were based on principles upheld by the Lebanese government, which supports Palestinian resistance and does not consider Hamas to be a terrorist organisation.

But newspapers in Lebanon have now printed the initial statement in which banks are requested to disclose any funds belonging to Hamas within a week.

Mr Salameh's explanation for this contradiction was that the request - made by the Central Bank's special investigation committee for money laundering - was what he called a technical step.

He said the committee was required to take that step by law as Lebanon tries to meet international requirements for combating money laundering.

Hamas has reacted angrily to the initial probe request.

Hezbollah, the Lebanese guerrilla movement and a political party, said the move had dangerous political implications.

A similar episode took place last week in Jordan when the country's Central Bank there issued an order to freeze all Hamas assets in the country.

The Central Bank reversed its decision only a day later after drawing harsh criticism from Islamist legislators and from Hamas.

Islamists also called on the Central Bank governor to resign.