Foreign Secretary welcomes intensification of EU pressure on Syrian regime
Foreign Secretary William Hague spoke after EU Foreign Ministers agreed further sanctions including freezing the assets of the Central Bank of Syria and the restricting the regime's access to the gold and precious metals market.
Speaking from the meeting in Brussels
“I welcome today’s EU agreement to freeze the assets of the Central Bank of Syria and restrict the Syrian regime’s access to the gold and precious metals market. Along with previous rounds of sanctions, these tough measures are tightening the economic pressure on President Assad. The EU has also imposed sanctions on an additional seven individuals for their involvement in the repression of civilians and suspended cargo flights operated by Syrian airlines.
“This twelfth round of EU sanctions reinforces the clear message from the meeting of Friends of the Syrian People on 24 February, which condemned the regime’s ongoing use of widespread and indiscriminate violence against peaceful protestors and agreed to continue working closely to resolve the situation in Syria.
“That is why we are doing all we can to bring the widest possible weight to bear on the Syrian regime and increase the stranglehold on it.
“We will continue working closely with our EU partners to support the Arab League and its plan to end the violence in Syria and bring about a Syrian-led transition to a peaceful and more open political system.”