Europe

Europe

Britain welcomes increased EU sanctions on Syria

02 August 2011 22:25 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. British Foreign Secretary William Hague on Tuesday welcomed the new round of European Union (EU) sanctions against Syria, APA reports referring Xinhua.
"Today further EU targeted sanctions on Syria come into force. The message is clear and unambiguous," Hague said, adding those responsible for the violence would be "singled out and held accountable."
"In the absence of an end to the senseless violence and a genuine process of political reform, we will continue to pursue further EU sanctions," he added.
Hague on Monday called for more pressures on the Syrian government.
He urged Arab nations and Turkey, besides the Western nations, to add to pressure on Syria in order to persuade the government to reform instead of "embarking on these appalling actions."
The Foreign Ministry advise against all travel to Syria, and British nationals in Syria should leave now by commercial means whilst these are still available.
The EU decided to extend sanctions against Syria on Monday, imposing asset freezes and travel bans on five more Syrian officials "in view of the gravity of the situation" in that country.
The EU move came after fresh violence in Syria at the weekend. A total of 79 Syrians have been reportedly killed in several cities in clashes with security forces on Sunday.
Syria has been in unrest since mid-March when anti-government protests broke out in Daraa province and spread to other cities.
Syrian authorities blame the unrest on "armed groups and foreign conspiracy" and vow to track down gunmen who have intimidated people and damaged public and private properties.