Luxembourg, 23/06/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 23 June, EU foreign affairs ministers strengthened the sanctions against the Syrian regime, targeting 12 government ministers. These 12 ministers will face an asset freeze and a travel ban on EU territory, given their responsibility for serious human rights violations, the Council stated in a press release. The legal acts, including the names of the designated persons, will be published the EU Official Journal on 24 June and will enter into force the same day.
With this decision, 191 people are now subject to EU restrictions. At the same time, 53 entities linked to repressive policies, including the Central Bank of Syria, remain under an EU asset freeze. The EU also imposed an embargo on oil and a ban on trading arms with Syria. The sanctions run until 1 June 2015.
During the Foreign Affairs Council, the EU ministers also discussed the situation in Syria, after the presidential election of 3 June and the resignation of UN Special Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, and they assessed the humanitarian aspects of the crisis.
EU hails withdrawal of chemicals. Elsewhere, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton welcomed the announcement by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) that the remaining 8% of the Syrian chemicals have been removed from the country and loaded on board the Danish vessel Ark Futura. “International pressure and the concerted efforts by OPCW and the Joint OPCW-UN Mission have finally yielded results”, she stated. In a press release, Ashton's spokesperson stressed the fact that pressure must be maintained on Syria to ensure that the chemical weapons programme is “completely and irreversibly dismantled”. “The work of the fact finding mission on the recent allegations of the use of chlorine should continue”, Ashton's spokesperson continued, stating that “the perpetrators of such horrific acts” should be held accountable. (CG)