EU 'to freeze Syrian bank assets'

The European Union will freeze the assets of Syria’s central bank on Monday, the French foreign minister has said, in the latest effort to pressure Syria to halt its bloody crackdown on an uprising against president Bashar Assad.

Alain Juppe made the announcement at a conference in Tunisia for the “Friends of Syria”, in which some 60 countries gathered to call for an end to the fighting.

“On Monday we will take strong new measures, notably freezing the assets of the Syrian Central Bank,” Mr Juppe told the delegates during the closed session. The comments were later released.

Mr Juppe encouraged other countries to follow the European Union’s lead and deepen their sanctions against the Assad regime.

The EU has already imposed sanctions, including banning oil exports and punitive measures targeting more than 70 people and 19 organisations, but those have failed to stop the Syrian regime’s crackdown.

Officials have also said that a joint UN-Arab League peacekeeping force will be planned to police the eventual ceasefire agreement.

The conference is calling for the implementation of an Arab League initiative that provides for Assad to step down.