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EU imposes expands sanctions against Syria

March 6, 2015

Syria's government has been targeted with more sanctions by the European Union. The move follows a decision to increase pressure on President Bashar al-Assad and his backers.

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Syrien Kämpfe in Damaskus
Civil war has raged for years in SyriaImage: REUTERS/B. Khabieh

The European Union imposed more sanctions against conflict-ridden Syria on Friday, targeting supporters of President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

"Seven persons and six entities providing support to the Syrian regime as well as benefiting from it have been targeted," the EU said in a statement. The identities of these seven people and six organizations have been added to a previous list of 211 individuals and 63 entities, which could include banks, institutions or companies. A complete list would be published in an official EU document on Saturday, European Council officials said.

The people and entities included in the sanctions would have their assets in the EU frozen and would be barred from entry into the bloc. The Council said the EU would "continue imposing and enforcing sanctions that target the regime and supporters as long as repression continues."

Syria has been facing four years of armed revolt after Assad refused to step down from his position. The country has been embroiled in a civil war between Assad's forces and rebels, killing over 200,000 people.

Attempts to restore relations with Assad have failed, raising concerns for EU member states that want to counter "Islamic State" militants trying to expand their control in the Middle East.

mg/sms (AFP, Reuters, dpa)