Secretary General for the Freedom and Justice Party, Dr. Saad Katatny, commended the decision by the EU to impose sanctions banning imports of Syrian crude oil. The sanctions come as a result of the gravity of the situation in Syria, where thousands of protesters demanding political reforms and the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad have been killed by security forces in a five-month crackdown.

“Al-Assad has continued to defy his people murdering innocent citizens and ignoring demands for reform. This international pressure mounted on Syrian President Bashar Assad, who has not heeded international calls to stop the bloody crackdown on protesters is a welcome step forward”, Katatny stated.