EU imposes sanctions on Assad family, senior govt. members

PanARMENIAN.Net - The European Union slapped sanctions on 12 more Syrians, including the British-born wife of President Bashar al-Assad and other close family members, as it seeks to add pressure on the top echelons of the regime, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The EU has already placed a travel ban and asset freeze on Mr. Assad, as well as on senior members of the government, military and business communities. It has also slapped on an oil embargo and sanctioned the central bank in efforts to pressure Mr. Assad into stepping down over the violent repression of protests.

The names of the new sanctions targets will be released when the measure is published in the EU's Official Journal over the weekend.

Diplomats confirmed the list includes Mr. Assad's mother, sister and his wife, UK citizen Asma al-Assad. The diplomats said that Mr. Assad's 36-year-old wife would be subject to the EU's asset freeze and banned from traveling to all EU member states except the UK.

According to a UK diplomat in Brussels, Ms. Assad cannot be refused entry into the country. Foreign Secretary William Hague confirmed Ms. Assad had the right to come to the UK, but said the government was not expecting her "to try to travel to the UK at the moment."

EU foreign ministers on Friday were due to discuss Syria with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.

EU member states have said that while they wanted to isolate Mr. Assad, they wouldn't intervene militarily in the country.