‘Friends of Syria’ Seek Ways to Toughen Sanctions Against Government
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Sasha Mordovets/Getty Images(LONDON) — Members of the European Union, the Arab League and other governments met in The Hague Thursday to discuss ways of strengthening sanctions against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime as the civil war in his country continues to escalate.
Diplomats from 60 nations, calling themselves the “Friends of Syria,” heard tough talk from Netherlands Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal, who urged “vigorous implementation” of the penalties meant to pressure al-Assad to end his crackdown on opposition forces seeking his removal from office.
So far, little has dissuaded the Syrian leader from ending the 19-month-conflict that has left tens of thousands of people dead and brought the region perilously close to destabilization.
Oil and weapons embargos are already in place, while there was talk of additional economic sanctions that include freezing more of the Syrian government’s assets in foreign countries.
Rosenthal also spoke of finding ways to curb the government’s control of the Internet, which allows it to monitor mobile phones, emails, texting and other traffic used by rebels and their allies.
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