Arab League approves sanctions against Syria
Syria-reform supporters, waving Syria’s old pre-Baath national flag, protest outside the Arab League headquarters in Cairo on Nov. 24, 2011.
The Arab League approved a harsh set of economic sanctions against Syria today, the New York Times reported. The sanctions took effect immediately.
More from GlobalPost: Arab League proposes sanctions against Syria
Nineteen of the league’s 22 countries voted to punish Syria for cracking down on an opposition uprising, Voice of America reported. Iraq and Lebanon, Syria’s neighbors, voted against the sanctions, BBC News reported.
The sanctions include a travel ban against Syrian officials and politicians, a ban on transactions with the Syrian Central Bank and the halting of Arab-financed projects in the country, the New York Times reported.
“The position of the people, and the Arab position, is that we must end this situation urgently,” Qatari Foreign Minister Hamad bin Jassem said after announcing the sanctions, the New York Times reported. “It has been almost a year that the Syrian people have been killed.”
According to BBC News:
The Arab League sanctions are not expected to cripple Syria overnight, and there will undoubtedly be loopholes which Damascus will be able to exploit. But the League's first-ever venture into such punitive action against one of its own members will heighten the sense of siege, pressure and isolation which Syria is already suffering, and it is bound to aggravate an already dire economic situation.
The story you just read is available for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
Make a gift today, and you’ll get us one step closer to our goal of raising $25,000 by June 14. We need your help now more than ever!