European Union foreign ministers warn of new Syrian sanctions

After Britain and France joined the US in missile salvoes meant to knock out Syrian chemical arms facilities, EU foreign ministers eyed steps to deepen the isolation of Bashar al-Assad

European Union foreign ministers threatened on Monday new sanctions on Syria over what the West says were chemical attacks on its own people but held off from joining expected new US punitive measures against Russia. 

After Britain and France joined the United States in missile salvoes meant to knock out Syrian chemical arms facilities, EU foreign ministers eyed steps to deepen the isolation of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. 

“The European Union will continue to consider further restrictive measures against Syria as long as the repression continues,” all 28 foreign ministers said in a statement after their talks in Luxembourg, referring to economic sanctions. 

They also endorsed the US, British and French air strikes carried out on Saturday that Western powers said were a response to an April 7 poison gas attack on the rebel enclave of Douma. “It is very important to stress (the strikes are) not an attempt to change the tide of the war in Syria,” British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson told reporters here.