Brussels (dpa) – The European Union will approve yet another round of sanctions against Syria in its bid to pressure President Bashar al-Assad into ending a bloody crackdown on opposition forces, summit papers indicated on Thursday. A draft statement – due to be officially approved Friday – showed that the bloc's leaders intended to ask their ministers “to prepare further targeted restrictive measures against the (Syrian) regime.” EU foreign ministers approved the latest round of sanctions on Monday – targeting Syria's central bank, cargo flights, precious metal trade and seven government ministers. Previously, EU countries had imposed oil and arms embargoes on the Middle Eastern country, as well as asset freezes and travel bans against al-Assad and his allies. But, so far, international pressure, also coming from the United States, has had little success in ending the violence, which has entered its twelfth month and left thousands dead. In their draft, EU leaders urged China and Russia to be more cooperative. The two countries have blocked or tried to block several United Nations Security Council resolutions critical of al-Assad. Moscow and Beijing were invited “to work together in an effort to stop the violence, and to reassess jointly the unfolding crisis in Syria with a view to working on its resolution together with other partners.” BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/NPykR Tags: Assad, EU, sanctions Section: Business, Europe, Latest News, Syria
