Her days of shopping in the EU for the president's palace are over, as ministers have decided the wife of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is no longer welcome.The ban on travel and shopping in the EU, will come as a blow to Asma al-Assad, whose love of pricey purchases has been well documented in the past few weeks in leaked emails.
They detailed Asma placing an order for £10,000 worth of candlesticks, concern over getting hold of a new chocolate fondue set from Amazon, and swapping details with friends of crystal-encrusted designer shoes costing nearly £4,000.The announcement comes as diplomats try to crank up pressure on his government to end a bloody crackdown on popular unrest.
Her name is now among 12 people added to the sanctions list, which already includes her husband.The list will be released over the weekend, but diplomats confirmed the list includes Mr. Assad's mother, sister as well.They said that Mr. Assad's 36-year-old wife would be subject to the EU's asset freeze and banned from traveling to all EU member states except the U.K.
British authorities will decide whether they prevent her entering the country and a U.K. diplomat said it is premature for a decision on the issue.Speaking ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, EU's foreign policy chief, Baroness Ashton, said sanctions were ''a really important tool.'UK Foreign Secretary William Hague said it was 'very important to increase the pressure on the Syrian regime.'
A British-born former investment banker who had once cultivated an image of a woman inspired by Western values, Asma al-Assad has become a hate figure for many Syrians.
She has stood by her husband during a year-long crackdown on popular unrest in which the U.N. says at least 8,000 people have died.Last week activists released some 3,000 emails they said were from private accounts belonging to Mr Assad and his wife.
 |
| Luxury: shop Leaked emails detailed Asma swapping details with friends about designer shoes costing and concern over getting hold of a new chocolate fondue set from Amazon, as her husband's troops slaughtered protestors |
The messages, which have not been independently verified, suggested Mrs Assad continued to shop online for luxury goods while Syria descended into bloodshed.She comes across as a shallow ingenue, focused on internet shopping rather than the horrific plight of the people she professes to care for.The EU has responded to Syria's violence with a broad range of sanctions, which include a ban on Syrian oil imports to Europe and measures against the Syrian central bank and other companies and state institutions.
Foreign ministers of EU member states are set to agree on a new round of measures, the bloc's 13th, and impose asset freezes and bans on travel to the EU against 12 people, include Asma.A prohibition for European companies to do business with two more Syrian entities is also planned.'The text (of sanctions) has gone through,' said one EU diplomat, referring to an agreement reached by EU envoys in Brussels to a list of new sanctions. Another diplomat confirmed Assad's wife is included in the list of sanctioned individuals.
The list still needs formal approval from ministers. It will become public on Saturday when new sanctions are due to go into effect.
Assad himself has been a target since May last year, but sanctions have had little impact on his policies so far.Violence has intensified in recent weeks as pro-government forces bombard rebel towns and villages, looking to sweep their lightly armed opponents out of their strongholds.
The international community has struggled to formulate a joint approach in the face of opposition from Russia and China to any resolution by the U.N. Security Council.
Assad absorbed a major diplomatic blow on Wednesday, however, when Russia and China joined the Security Council in voicing support for U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan's bid to end violence that has brought Syria to the brink of civil war.