EU FOREIGN ministers stepped up sanctions against Syria and warned of more to come as they implored president Bashar al-Assad to stop killing his own people.
The development came as UN-Arab League envoy on Syria Kofi Annan held separate talks in Geneva with the Iranian and French foreign ministers.
The latest sanctions – the 12th round of EU penalties against the Assad regime – will freeze assets held in the EU by the Syrian central bank and bans the trade in gold, precious metals and diamonds with Damascus.
“As long as the repression continues, the EU will keep imposing sanctions,” said European foreign policy chief Cathy Ashton. “We need to get the regime – Assad – to stop killing the population . . . You cannot lead your people, murder them, and then remain in leadership.”
Baroness Ashton said a military intervention was not under discussion. “Military intervention requires many many things, not least the certainty of the UN, and as you know we’re not anywhere near that,” she said.
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Eamon Gilmore rejected the suggestion that a prolonged conflict was now in prospect. He argued, however, that any move to arm the rebels would lead to a civil war situation and a drawn-out confrontation.
The sanctions were designed to pressurise Damascus to agree a ceasefire so humanitarian aid could be delivered to the country, Mr Gilmore said. A further objective was to support Mr Annan in his effort to advance an Arab League plan for the country which Mr Assad agreed and then failed to implement.
“We cannot stand aside and allow what has been happening in Syria, over 8,000 people already killed, 70,000 in detention and up to three million people who are now in need of food and medical and other humanitarian assistance,” Mr Gilmore said.
Hinting at divisions over the scope of the new sanctions, British foreign secretary William Hague said he was “frustrated” at the situation.
The renewed pressure on Syria comes as Serbia takes a step towards formal talks on EU membership and the ministers prepare further sanctions against Belarus.
Ministers for Europe are expected to sign off today on a recommendation to this week’s European summit to grant Serbia the status of a “candidate” country to join the EU, but French foreign minister Alain Juppé said the deal was already settled. “It’s done; the conditions set have been met,” Mr Juppé said. This follows an agreement last week in which Serbia agreed to deep co-operation with its former province Kosovo, whose independence it refuses to recognise.
The foreign ministers also resolved to impose new sanctions against 21 judicial and police figures in Belarus, whose government continues a crackdown on protesters against the disputed re-election of president Alexander Lukashenko in 2010.
