A Syrian ship with weapons heading to Damascus has been seized said Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as pressure continues to grow on Syrian President Assad’s regime.
Speaking from New York at the UN general Assembly, Erdogan confirmed that a ship was stopped and said that all future arms shipments to Syria would also be seized.
Being interviewed by CNN, Erdogan also commented that,
"If you're going to act against the fundamental rights, liberties and the law, you will lose your position in my heart as my brother and my friend.
I was very patient. Patience, patience, patience. And then I cracked."
The move by Syria’s former key regional ally comes as the EU, joined by Switzerland, passed a seventh round of sanctions on Syria, including a blockade of banknotes to the Central bank of Syria and a ban on investment in the oil sector.
The EU provides 95 percent of Syrian oil exports, which provide a third of the regime’s hard currency earnings.
The intensified sanctions were welcomed by British Foreign Secretary William Hague, who commented,
"International pressure will increase until the regime heeds the calls for an immediate end to violence, the release of political prisoners and genuine change. Assad is isolated internationally and things will never return to the way they were. He should step aside now."
"Countries across the region have called for Assad to end the violence immediately. This week in New York, I made clear to Security Council members that they too must increase the pressure on Syria. The UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, has also made this clear."
The Syrian regime has already started to feel the effect of growing sanctions, as they announced a ban on a wide range of imports in an attempt to preserve foreign currency reserves.
Economists have reported that foreign reserves in the country have been falling, as Syria continues to sell hard currency in an attempt to stop the Syrian pound falling.
President Assad’s regime has brutally suppressed protests that started on March 15th, leaving an estimated 2,700 people dead so far.
We need your support
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.
For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.
