EU sanctions Assads wife, mother, sister, sister-in-law

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EU sanctions Assads wife, mother, sister, sister-in-law

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EU imposed sanctions Friday on Assads wife, mother, sister and sister-in-law.

23 March,2012 07:05 pm

EU foreign ministers imposed sanctions on Asma Assad, British-born wife of the Syrian president, banning her from traveling to European Union countries and freezing any assets she may have there.The foreign ministers also imposed the same sanctions on President Bashar Assads mother, sister and sister-in-law, and eight government ministers, in a continuing attempt to halt violence in Syria.Tightening the noose as Syrian rebels set their sights on Damascus while clashing with troops in the north, EU foreign ministers called for a political solution to end the regimes murderous yearlong crackdown on protest.Assad himself was targeted on May 10 last year, along with his younger brother Maher and four cousins.Its important that we tighten the diplomatic and economic stranglehold, said British Foreign Secretary William Hague.Their behaviour continues to be murdering and totally unacceptable in the eyes of the world.The close-to-home sanctions came amid some hope of a breakthrough after even Russia and China signed on to a UN Security Council statement this week urging Assad and his foes to accept a plan proposed by UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan.Everybody has to know, the regime, the entourage of the regime, the clan of the regime, that we are being serious, said German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle. The clan of the regime of Assad has to be included.The measures aimed to send a very powerful signal to everyone in the regime that the killing has to stop, the violence has to stop, there has to be dialogue, there has to be a political process, said Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt.That is the only way to prevent the country from descending into sectarian civil war that would have devastating consequences.A Sunni Muslim who originally hails from Homs, Syrias British-born first lady is the daughter of a heart specialist and a diplomat.The stylish Western-educated former investment banker not so long ago was described by Vogue as a rose in the desert. She has since been likened to a modern-day Marie-Antoinette.It was widely believed Asmas grounding in Western values would help give the regime a more human face and shatter the isolation of the secretive Assad family.But in the last weeks she became the focus of sharp criticism after Britains Guardian newspaper released e-mails showing the ruling couple shopping for luxury goods as the country slid into bloody chaos.The glamorous mother of three, pictured in designer outfits and Christian Louboutin shoes, has often been compared to the likes of Queen Rania of Jordan or Frances Carla Bruni, with a reported fondness for Chanel in particular.Tall, stylish and charismatic, her impeccable British accent and credentials long helped promote the soft side of an iron-fisted regime.As a British national, the EU travel ban cannot prevent her from entering Britain, but it can stop her from travelling to the other 26 EU nations.Sanctions are not everything, said EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton. But sanctions make a significant difference. They prevent people from carrying on with business as usual.