EU Imposes Arms Embargo On Syria
By Ria Novosti
The European Union has imposed an arms embargo on Syria and will consider further sanctions against the regime in the coming days, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said on Saturday.
EU ambassadors met for emergency talks in Brussels last night to discuss possible measures against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad amid growing international condemnation of the killings of more than 600 demonstrators during recent uprisings.
In a statement released after the meeting, Ashton reminded Syrian authorities ‘of their obligation to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms’ and called for ‘immediate release of political prisoners and human rights defenders.’
“The EU expresses its grave concern about the situation unfolding in Syria and the deployment of military and security forces in a number of Syrian cities,” Ashton said.
“No one is under any illusions Syria will be harmed massively by this but it’s the first step towards slowly isolating the regime,” one EU top diplomat added.
