EU to stop buying Syrian oil as part of tougher sanctions

Reacting to the deteriorating situation in Syria and the escalating number of Syrians killed or wounded during the fierce attacks carried out by the Syrian governmental forces, and the repeated calls by several world leaders for Syrian President Bashar Al Assad to step aside, the European Union countries have decided to stop buying crude oil from Syria as they move to toughen sanctions against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, diplomats from the bloc said Friday. The sources were speaking after EU ambassadors met in Brussels to discuss how to respond to the ongoing crackdown on protesters in Syria, where latest reports indicated that at least 19 people were killed Friday by security forces Ambassadors gave the go ahead to strengthening sanctions, "including a ban on the import of Syrian crude oil," a diplomatic source said here today. The decision came a day after the first direct call from the United States, Britain, Germany, France and the EU for al-Assad to step down. US President Barack Obama froze all assets held by the Syrian government subject to US jurisdiction, banned Americans from new investments in, or exporting services to, Syria, and, banned US imports of Syrian-origin petroleum products. Syria is not a major oil power, having been projected by the International Monetary Fund to have produced less than 400,000 barrels per day last year. However, the sector was expected to provide about a quarter of government revenue. For his part, Michael Mann, a spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, stressed earlier Friday that the bloc had also requested Monday''s meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, where an international enquiry into the Syrian repressions will be discussed. EU officials also decided to widen existing travel bans and asset freeze measures, which currently target 35 individuals and four companies accused of abetting the repression. Fifteen additional officials and five companies are expected to be added to the list, as EU diplomats agreed to also target those "who benefit from and support" the al-Asad regime, the diplomat said, clarifying earlier remarks referring only to "15 entities." Aid to Syria from the European Investment Bank is also to be suspended. The tightened sanctions are set to be approved over the coming days and weeks. Another EU source said the ban on oil imports from Syria should be operational "in late August, early September." The EU first imposed sanctions on the Syrian regime in May, and has since tightened them three times. Current restrictive measures include an embargo on certain weapons, such as anti-riot gear. In a report issued earlier Tuesday, Human Rights Watch said Syria "exports about 150,000 barrels per day, and around 95 % of that goes to Europe, primarily to Italy, the Netherlands, France, and Germany."