EU preparing new round of sanctions against Syrian companies

The “REUTERS” agency informs that the European Union nations are preparing a fresh round of sanctions aimed at Syrian companies, a senior European diplomat said on Wednesday.

The diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the additional sanctions were part of a concerted effort to increase pressure on the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to end a crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators, the source reported.
U.S. President Barack Obama last month signed an executive order imposing new sanctions against Syria's intelligence agency and two relatives of Assad for alleged human rights abuses.

The EU, for its part, put 13 Syrian officials on its sanctions list in what it described as a move to gradually increase pressure, the REUTERS writes.

Both U.S. and EU officials have said Assad himself could become a future target for sanctions if the violent response to protests against his 11-year rule continues.