Damascus, Mar 24(ANI): The European Union has stepped up pressure on Syria's President Bashar al-Assad to halt violence on protestors by imposing sanctions on his closest female relatives.
The EU has barred his wife, mother, sister and sister-in-law from travelling in the European Union and has frozen their bank accounts and other assets.
The move comes in the wake of armed clashes and shelling of civilian areas across the country, The Guardian reports.
It, however, remains unclear how the move aimed at curbing the extravagant lifestyle of a dynasty engaged in a bloodbath in Syria, would affect Syrian First Lady Asma al-Assad.
But Asma al-Assad is exempted from the travel ban as the former investment banker is a UK citizen and may still travel to Britain.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague confirmed that Assad would be able to visit her parents, who live in London and added that she would still be able to use her house in London. There would be no attempt to strip her of British nationality.
"British passport-holders have a right of entry to the UK. But given we are imposing an asset freeze on all of these individuals and a travel ban on other members of the same family or regime, we are not expecting Mrs Assad to try and travel to the UK at present," Hague said.
A cache of emails from the Assad regime had exposed a culture of high-living, luxury shopping sprees in London and Paris at the same time. (ANI)
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