France, Germany Call for EU Sanctions on Syrian Leaders
VOA News May 03, 2011
France and Germany are asking the European Union to impose sanctions on Syrian leaders in response to the violent crackdown on anti-government protests.
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said Tuesday his country wants sanctions to include targeting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Germany's deputy foreign minister, Werner Hoyer, said the Syrian government's "brutal actions" leave the EU with no choice but to take action.
A human rights group says Syrian authorities have arrested more than 1,000 people across the country since Saturday. Rights groups say at least 560 civilians have been killed in the nationwide unrest.
Meanwhile, the International Committee of the Red Cross is urging Syria to lift restrictions on access to people injured in violence between police and anti-government protesters.
Representatives for the relief group said Tuesday that if the situation worsens, more lives could be lost.
Spokesman Hisham Hassan said aid workers especially need access to the injured in the southern city of Daraa.
Witnesses say new military reinforcements entered Daraa Sunday, joining thousands who already were there. Fuel, water, power and communications have been severely disrupted in Daraa for days. Food is said to be scarce.
Nearly all foreign media have been banned from Syria, making it almost impossible to confirm the reports.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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