Ambassadors from the Twenty-eight decided on Wednesday 27 February to sanction seven more Syrian people in view of the violent repression of the civilian population in Syria.
According to a European source, the aim of this is to update European sanctions following a ministerial reshuffle.
The sanctions should therefore concern the seven new ministers of Bashar al-Assad’s government, appointed at the end of November 2018: - Interior Minister, Lieutenant General Mohammed Khaled Rahmoun; - the Minister of Communications and Technology, Eyad Mohammad al-Khatib; - the Minister of Public Works and Housing, Suheil Mohammad Abdullatif; - the Minister of Industry, Mohammad Ma'an Zein al-Abiden Jazba; - the Minister of Tourism, Mohammad Rami Ridwan Martini; - - the Minister of Education, Imad Mwafak al-Azab; - the Minister of Higher Education, Bassam Bashir Ibrahim.
In addition, ambassadors approved the updating of information concerning eight individuals, including ministers who have left office but remain subject to sanctions.
The new restrictive measures – a freeze on assets and a visa ban – and the updates are expected to be formally adopted at the Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council on Monday 4 March, without there being a debate.
The EU's restrictive measures against the Syrian regime are in place until 1 June 2019. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)