BRUSSELS: Europe tightened the noose on President Bashar al-Assad Monday, imposing sanctions on the Syrian leader for the first time while calling for quick Middle East peace talks as it responded to the Arab Spring.
Long reluctant to target the Syrian leader directly, the European Union's decision to slap an assets freeze and travel ban on Assad is the latest in a string of measures against his regime, though the effects are unclear.
In wide-ranging talks encompassing events sweeping the Arab world, EU foreign ministers also strengthened sanctions on Iran and Libya, chided Yemen's leader for failing to sign a transition deal, and urged Bahrain to stick to reform.
And after President Barack Obama's Middle East policy shift last week, as well as a recent inter-Palestinian peace deal, the EU ministers judged the time ripe for an “early meeting” of the diplomatic Quartet on the Middle East, the European Union, Russia, United Nations and United States.
Obama's sea-change speech setting borders prior to the 1967 Arab-Israeli war as the basis of a future Palestinian state, a long-held EU position, set out “important elements contributing to the resumption of negotiations,” the EU said.
“We want negotiations to resume as soon as possible,” said Italy's Foreign Minister Franco Frattini. “This is what we have to do now. But I have to admit a window of opportunity is narrowing day after day.”
"The Arab Spring," added German counterpart Guido Westerwelle, “has also opened a chance for the Middle East peace process. But inversely, the peace process must move forward to guarantee long-term success to the Arab Spring.”
As Syrians buried their dead, with at least 900 people killed and thousands more arrested in pro-democracy protests, the 27-state bloc condemned “in the strongest terms the ongoing repression in Syria and the unacceptable violence.”
"I think more will need to be done," said Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague. “We must not overstate the leverage of the international community on Syria.
“It does appear at the moment that the regime in Syria has decided to go down the path of repression, not reform, whatever international opinion may be.”
Calling for an immediate halt to intimidation, mass arrests and torture, the ministers demanded the release of prisoners and access across the country for aid workers, medics and the press.
An EU statement also urged “without delay and through a concrete timetable, meaningful political reforms. This is the only way to initiate a peaceful transition and provide stability for Syria in the long term.”
And in a final thrust, the ministers added the president, along with nine leading officials, to an earlier blacklist of 13. The sanctions will take effect from Tuesday.
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