Brussels, 06/05/2011 (Agence Europe) - On Friday afternoon, member state ambassadors at the Political and Security Committee (PSC) approved sanctions prepared in the past few days against key Syrian officials, that is, all except Bashar al-Assad. In total, 13 leaders will thus be hit by an assets freeze and visa ban on EU territory. The package of restrictive measures that the member states are to formally endorse by written procedure by 9 May (publication in the Official Journal by Tuesday 10 May at the latest) also includes an embargo on arms sales and exports of non-lethal equipment which can be used for internal repression, the withdrawal of the European offer to sign an association agreement, and the suspension of cooperation and European aid granted directly to the government (projects that directly benefit the population will not be concerned by this).
Bashar al-Assad. Last week, the 27 EU member states had agreed on the principle of sanctions (see EUROPE 10368). The last point still to be settled on Friday at the PSC was the question of whether President Bashar al-Assad should be personally included or not on the list of people targeted by the assets freeze and visa bans. France, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Denmark have put pressure on so that the president appears on the list but a large group headed by Germany and Spain (and including most of the central and eastern European countries) called for a “progressive approach” in order to have the possibility of stepping up sanctions and not to cut all communication bridges with Damascus. This last point of view prevailed. (H.B./transl.jl)