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Syria Suspends Role in Mediterranean Union over EU Sanctions
[An Nahar] Syria has suspended its participation in the Mediterranean Union in retaliation for punitive measures against its regime by European states, state media said on Thursday."Syria is suspending its membership in the Mediterranean Union in response to European measures taken against it," said a statement carried by the official SANA news agency. Syrian state television ... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe? meanwhile accused the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... of "taking a series of measures which constitute a flagrant violation of the illusory sovereignty and patent interference in the internal affairs of Syria." The statement came after EU ministers meeting in Brussels on Thursday said they were targeting Syria's energy and financial for new sanctions. The 43-nation Mediterranean Union, an initiative of French President Nicolas Sarkozy ...23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. Sarkozy is married to singer-songwriter Carla Bruni, who has a really nice birthday suit... , was inaugurated in 2008 to bolster cooperation between Europe, the Middle East and north Africa. Launched by La Belle France and Egypt at a Gay Paree summit, the union groups all 27 European Union member states with countries in North Africa, the Balkans, the Arab world and Israel. Syrian  Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneckal-Assad Oppressor of the Syrians and the Lebs... was one of 40 heads of state and government present when the Union was launched amid much fanfare and at the time placed himself firmly at the centre of Middle East peace moves. However, a clean conscience makes a soft pillow... he has since fallen far from grace and the EU, Arab League ...an organization of Arabic-speaking states with 22 member countries and four observers. The League tries to achieve Arab consensus on issues, which usually leaves them doing nothing but a bit of grimacing and mustache cursing... and United States have all slapped sanctions on his regime over its fierce crackdown on an eight-month revolt. At least 4,000 civilians have been killed in the violence, the United Nations ...aka the Oyster Bay Chowder and Marching Society... said in its most recent toll given on Thursday. The European ministers said in a statement released at their Brussels meeting that they had decided to implement "further restrictive measures targeting the regime's ability to conduct its brutal repression." The sanctions target "the energy, financial, banking and trade sectors and include the listing of additional individuals and entities that are involved in the violence or directly supporting the regime." Diplomats said the measures include bans on exporting gas and oil industry equipment to Syria, trading Syrian government bonds and selling software that could be used to monitor Internet and telephone communications. The EU has passed nine rounds of sanctions against Syria, placing 74 people on the list, including Assad, enforcing an arms embargo and banning imports of Syrian crude oil. Posted by: Fred 2011-12-02 |
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