Syria could face further EU sanctions, says Hague
Sep 04, 2011 at 02:07
SOPOT, Poland: The European Union could further strengthen sanctions on Syria after targeting its oil industry and will press more for UN action, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said.
The violence against protesters by President Bashar Assad’s government was “completely unacceptable” and increased international pressure was needed, Hague told Reuters after a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Poland.
Hague said a ban on any new purchases of Syrian oil by EU states from Saturday was a “very substantial” step given that it covered around 95 percent of Syrian exports and 25 percent of the revenue to the Syrian government.
Hague, however, acknowleged that Syria could export the oil elsewhere and declined to make clear whether Britain would back extending EU sanctions to a ban on investment by EU firms in Syria, as imposed by the US last month.
Analysts say the EU sanctions may have only a limited impact on Assad’s access to funds, but imposing an investment ban would require overcoming reluctance in some capitals, given that European firms like Anglo-Dutch Royal Dutch Shell and France’s Total are significant investors in Syria.
Hague said he believed the new EU steps would be taken seriously by the Syrian government.
“That does not of course preclude further measures being taken in the future,” he said. “We will continue that intensification over the coming months if this situation continues.”
“There will be ways of further increasing that pressure in the future, but I am satisfied that this is the right response at the moment. It is a very serious response and we would ask other countries in the world to join us in making it.”
Hague said the situation in Syria posed a great risk to stability in the region.
Any call for UN action would be aimed at increasing the pressure on Syrian authorities to end the violence but would not involve military intervention such as the West has pursued in Libya, he said.
Analysts say that the impact of international sanctions on Syria has been weakened by opposition by some global powers, including Russia and China, which have resisted a UN Security Council resolution laying out more measures.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov condemned European sanctions on Saturday, saying they “will lead to nothing good.”
“We have always said that unilateral sanctions will lead to nothing good. This ruins the partnership approach to any crisis,” he said on the sidelines of a summit of ex-Soviet states in the Tajik capital Dushanbe.
At informal EU talks in Sopot, Hague and French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said more oil sanctions could be needed, but did not say what these might entail.
“If Bashar Assad is not listening and if there is no change in the regime, the sanctions will have to be intensified,” Juppe said.
At least 17 dead as Syria anti-regime demos spread
DAMASCUS (AFP) - Syrian forces killed at least 17 people on Friday, activists said, as protesters piled pressure on the regime to quit and the EU tightened the noose on Damascus by slapping it with an oil embargo.
Activists reported "huge demonstrations" after weekly Muslim prayers in response to calls from an Internet group that urged rallies against President Bashar al-Assad's regime under the banner "death rather than humiliation".
France also announced plans to further isolate Assad, saying it would boost contacts with the opposition, echoing calls from Spain for international support for the opponents of the embattled president.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said eight people were killed as security forces intervened to disperse protests in several suburbs of Damascus, including Douma and Erbeen.
Six other people died in rebellious Homs province and three in the eastern city of Deir Ezzor, said the Britain-based Observatory in an updated report, adding a 16-year-old girl was among those killed.
State television, meanwhile, reported the security forces killed two armed men after coming under attack in Talbisseh, a town in central Homs province.
Three members of the security forces were killed by "armed terrorist groups who attacked them in Talbisseh, Erbeen and Hammuriyeh," also a Damascus suburb, according to state news agency SANA.
It reported four assailants were killed in the confrontations, while an army captain, Wael el-Ali, was kidnapped in a town of Idlib province, in northwestern Syria near Turkey.
Verification of the reports was not possible because foreign media are barred from moving freely around the country.
One of Friday's rallies was held in support of a top official who resigned this week to protest the regime's deadly repression of dissent, while protesters also urged Russia to stop selling arms to Syria, activists said.
The Local Coordination Committees (LCC) said demonstrators rallied outside the home of Mohammed Adnan al-Bakkour, the attorney general of Hama province who announced his resignation in a contested YouTube video.
Bakkour said he stepped down in disgust at hundreds of killings and mass burials and thousands of arrests by Assad's regime -- claims dismissed by the regime which said he quit under duress after being kidnapped.
Protesters also rallied in the northern city of Amuda to demand the "fall of the regime," while other demonstrators carried signs "urging Russia to stop arms sales to the regime," said the LCC which groups activists on the ground.
Demonstrators also rallied in the southern province of Deraa, where the anti-regime protests first erupted in mid-March, and in the northern province of Aleppo, activists said.
Women took to the streets in the Deraa town of Jassem, the LCC said, while the Observatory said security forces blocked worshippers from leaving a mosque to take part in protests in nearby Nawa.
And as ministers from the 27-member European Union met in Poland to discuss the Syrian turmoil, the EU on Friday adopted a ban on crude oil imports from Syria to punish Assad's regime for its brutal repression.
The European Union expanded its list of about 50 people -- including Assad himself -- targeted by an assets freeze and travel ban, adding four Syrian businessmen accused of bankrolling the regime and three firms, diplomats said.
The sanctions "will go straight to the heart of the regime," Dutch Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal said in Poland while EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said there would be no let-up to press Assad to end the repression.
The oil embargo, to take effect from Saturday, will deprive Assad's regime of a vital source of cash as the EU buys 95 percent of Syria's crude oil although it accounts for a mere 1.5 percent of the bloc's imports.
Meanwhile several European leaders called for more action to isolate the Syrian president, after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday again insisted Assad "needs to step aside."
"Right now it is crucial that we isolate the regime," said German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle on Friday, insisting sanctions will force the regime to start a dialogue its opponents.
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said Paris would step up contacts with Syrian opposition figures, and Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero urged international support for Syrians opposed to Assad.
EU bans Syrian oil as crackdown kills 13
BEIRUT (AP) — The European Union banned oil imports from Syria on Friday in a move that will cost the embattled regime millions of dollars each day as it tries to crush a resilient uprising that has railed against the country's authoritarian government for more than five months.
President Bashar Assad's assault on protests continued, killing at least 13 people, activists said. Security forces fired on thousands of anti-government protesters and surrounded mosques to prevent worshippers from streaming into the streets to join the rallies.
The U.N. estimates some 2,200 people have been killed since March as protesters take to the streets every week, despite the near-certainty that they will face a barrage of bullets and sniper fire. But the regime is in no imminent danger of collapse, leading to concerns violence will escalate.
On Friday, Syrian protesters marched under the slogan "Death Rather Than Humiliation" — reflecting a growing frustration among activists that their largely peaceful gatherings have failed to crack the regime.
Recent weeks have seen a subtle change in tone among some protesters who are calling on Syrians to take up arms and inviting foreign military action like the intervention that helped topple the Libyan government.
Although the calls to arms are not widespread, there are fears that a prolonged stalemate could serve to radicalize the movement and lead to more bloodshed.
The EU oil ban follows other international sanctions and worldwide reproach, although Assad has brushed off the condemnation as foreign meddling. The oil embargo is significant because Damascus gets about 28 percent of its revenue from the oil trade and sells fuel to France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands.
Syria exports some 150,000 barrels of oil per day, with the vast majority going to the European Union.
European Union trade spokesman, John Clancy, said Syria earned 3.1 billion euros ($4.4 billion) by selling oil to the EU in 2010. Oil from Syria amounted to 1.5 percent of EU's total crude oil imports that year.
"The impact of the ban in terms of EU oil supply is very minimal, but the impact on the financing of the Syrian regime is quite substantial," Clancy told the AP.
Without that revenue, Syria will likely burn far more quickly through the $17 billion in foreign reserves it had at the start of the uprising. Still, some analysts believe Syria is getting financial assistance from Iran, which would cushion the EU blow.
"There is little evidence to suggest that sanctions will be enough to end the violence and force sincere political reform," according to a briefing this week by Maplecroft, a British-based risk analysis company.
"Although the EU embargo could hit the regime hard ... Assad will continue to rely on financial support from Iran," the briefing said.
Asia also could present a new market for the oil as China has close ties to Damascus.
The EU ban covers the purchase, import and transport of oil and other petroleum products from Syria. The EU also has banned European banks from opening credit lines for such sales, and prohibited insurance companies from insuring the cargos.
In addition to the oil ban, four more Syrian individuals and three entities were added to a list of those facing an EU asset freeze and travel ban.
Over the past few months, the EU has imposed travel bans and asset freezes against 35 Syrian government officials and military and police commanders, including Assad himself. Other countries, including the U.S., also have imposed sanctions but Syria's business with those nations was limited.
The EU has in the past been reluctant to ban Syrian oil and gas imports for fear of the impact on the Syrian public and small businesses.
Explaining the shift, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe explained that EU nations were hoping the oil ban would send an unmistakable message that "the behavior of the Syrian regime has been unacceptable."
"We cannot accept such brutal repression against the aspirations of the people," he told the AP during a visit to Poland.
The EU oil embargo will bring the 27-nation bloc in line with the latest U.S. moves to isolate Assad's regime, including a ban on the import of petroleum or related products.
The embargo takes effect on Saturday, but existing contracts can be fulfilled until Nov. 15.
Some EU nations have been lobbying for other sectors to be added to the sanctions regime, including telecommunications and banking.
Also Friday, Syrian troops fanned out in cities including Homs in central Syria, Daraa in the south and the eastern city of Deir el-Zour, according to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Syria has banned foreign journalists and restricted local coverage, making it difficult to independently confirm events on the ground.
The government blames the unrest on armed gangs, not true reform-seekers, despite widespread witness accounts of largely peaceful protesters facing a military assault.
Witnesses and activists said the largest turnout Friday was in Homs, where a funeral turned into a massive anti-government demonstration. Thousands of people were taking part, calling for the regime's downfall and for Assad's execution, activists said.
Most of Friday's 13 deaths were in the Damascus suburb of Arbeen and nearby areas, according to the observatory and the Local Coordination Committees, another prominent activist group with a network of sources on the ground.
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Turkey says it will challenge Gaza blockade
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey is preparing to challenge Israel's blockade on Gaza at the International Court of Justice, the foreign minister said, ratcheting up tensions between the once close allies.
Ahmet Davutoglu's comments on Saturday came a day after Turkey expelled the Israel's ambassador and severed military ties with the country, angered over its refusal to apologize for last year's deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla that killed nine pro-Palestinian activists.
In an interview with Turkey's state-run TRT television, Davutoglu dismissed a U.N. report into the raid that said Israel's naval blockade of Gaza was a legal security measure. Davutoglu said the report — prepared by former New Zealand Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer and former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, and presented to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon — was not endorsed by the United Nations and was therefore not binding.
"What is binding is the International Court of Justice," Davutoglu said. "This is what we are saying: let the International Court of Justice decide."
"We are starting the necessary legal procedures this coming week," he said.
But Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon said his country has nothing to apologize for and that it has done all it could to avoid a crisis with Turkey. He said the Turks apparently intended to raise tensions with Israel for its own reasons.
"The problem here is on the Turkish side. ... They were not ready for a compromise and kept raising the threshold," Ayalon said on Israeli TV Saturday. "I think we need to say to the Turks: as far as we are concerned, this saga is behind us. Now we need to cooperate. Lack of cooperation harms not only us, but Turkey as well."
Davutoglu said the U.N. report released Friday contradicted an earlier report on the Gaza flotilla incident which found that Israeli forces violated international law when they raided the flotilla. That report was prepared in September by three human rights experts appointed by the U.N.'s top human rights body.
He also warned Israel that it risks alienation among Arab nations by resisting an apology.
"If Israel persists with its current position, the Arab spring will give rise to a strong Israel opposition as well as the debate on the authoritarian regimes," Davutoglu said.
On Friday, Turkey downgraded its diplomatic ties with Israel to the level of second secretary and gave the ambassador and other high-level diplomats until Wednesday to leave the country. In other measures against Israel, Turkey suspended military agreements, promised to back legal actions against Israel by the raid victims' families, and vowed to take steps to ensure freedom to navigate in the eastern Mediterranean.
Turkish officials refused to elaborate on their government's latest move, but some analysts suggested Turkey could send navy vessels to escort aid ships in the future.
Turkey's main opposition party on Friday warned that such a step could lead to confrontation between Turkish and Israeli forces. "The probability that (Turkey's ruling) party has carried Turkey to the brink of a hot conflict is saddening and unacceptable," said Faruk Logoglu, a deputy chairman of the opposition Republican People's Party.
On Saturday, Ban urged Turkey and Israel to mend ties for the good of the Middle East peace process. "I sincerely hope that Israel and Turkey will improve their relationship," Ban told reporters during a visit to Australia.
"Both countries are very important countries in the region and their improved relationship — normal relationship — will be very important in addressing all the situations in the Middle East, including the Middle East peace process," he said, referring to a negotiated Palestinian-Israeli peace pact.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's spokesman said the U.N. committee's report concluded that Israel had acted within its rights and said he hoped it would help "put the relationship between Jerusalem and Ankara back on the right track."
"The U.N. commission clearly states that Israel acted legally in imposing the naval blockade to protect our people from the smuggling of rockets and weapons that are fired at our civilians," the spokesman, Mark Regev, said.
The U.N. report released Friday called the May 31, 2010 Israeli raid "excessive and unreasonable." The U.N. panel also blamed Turkey and flotilla organizers for contributing to the deaths.
Jailed Bahrain Shiite activists on hunger strike
Human rights activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja and opposition Haq movement member Abduljalil al-Singace stopped eating on Tuesday in solidarity with detainees held at Bahrain's Dry Dock prison, Zainab al-Khawaja said.
She said that the detainees, who were arrested as part of a March crackdown on Shiite-led pro-democracy protests, had called their hunger strike in protest at the government's failure to honour promises to release them.
"I am concerned about my father's health," Khawaja said. "He was beaten when detained and his jaw was broken. They also beat him repeatedly on his jaw in court. The doctor had told him to eat well for his health to improve.
"He has already lost too much weight in prison and yesterday he called me and said his blood sugar level has dropped," she added.
Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, who also holds Danish citizenship, was jailed for life with Singace and six other opposition activists in June.
The Bahrain interior ministry says 24 people, including four policemen, were killed in the month-long protests that erupted in mid-February.
Security forces backed by troops from Bahrain's Gulf neighbours crushed the protest movement.
The opposition says that scores of people were arrested, and many of them tortured. Hundreds more were dismissed from their jobs.
Iran plane blows tyre injuring 11
"Eight people received treatment at the scene and three others were taken to hospital," after the 12:02 am (1932 GMT Saturday) accident at the city's Shahid Hasheminejad airport, the news agency quoted the head of the provincial medical emergency centre, Reza Vafainejad, as saying.
The Mahan Air flight from the capital was carrying 230 passengers, the news agency added, without specifying the model of aircraft.
Iran, which has been under years of international sanctions, has suffered a string of serious air accidents over the past decade that have killed more than 900 people.
The country operates an ageing fleet of aircraft which is poorly maintained in the face of a Western embargo on the sale of spare parts.
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