Arab League Draws Up Sanctions against Syria
Arab finance ministers gathered in Cairo on Saturday drew up a list of economic sanctions against Syria that they will present to foreign ministers for adoption, a communique said.
The recommendation -- which includes a ban on Syrian officials visiting any Arab country and the freezing of government assets -- comes after President Bashar Assad's regime defied an ultimatum to allow in observers amid a lethal crackdown on protest.
Arab top diplomats will meet in Cairo on Sunday to vote on the sanctions.
The list of punitive measures also included the suspension of flights and a halt to any transactions with the Syrian government and its central bank.
Arab states are also called to freeze any investments for projects in Syria.
The Arab League had set a Friday deadline for Damascus to agree to the details of the observers' mission, part of a reform deal Syria had previously said it accepted.
If adopted, the sanctions are likely to have a crippling effect on Syria which relies on its Arab neighbors for half of its exports and a quarter of its imports.
The United Nations estimates that the Syrian government's crackdown has cost more than 3,500 lives since March.
Source: Agence France Presse
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