Cairo, March 01: The European Union has imposed an arms embargo, travel bans and other sanctions on the Libyan regime amid mounting pressure against Tripoli’s killing of protesters.
The EU approved a package of sanctions, including an arms embargo and bans on travel to the bloc, against Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi and his closest advisers on Monday, Reuters reported.
The bloc’s 27 member states also agreed to freeze the assets of Gaddafi, his family and government, and ban the sale of goods such as tear gas and anti-riot equipment that can be used against pro-democracy protesters.
The decision was made at a meeting of EU energy ministers in Brussels to ensure the measures would be enforced as soon as possible.
European states have called on Gaddafi, who has held on to power for more than four decades, to stand down after his attempts to suppress two weeks of pro-democracy protests.
Hungarian Development Minister Tamas Fellegi, whose country holds EU’s rotating presidency, said the bloc formally endorsed sanctions agreed by the UN Security Council on Saturday, which include travel bans and asset freezes.
The EU went further by extending visa bans to 10 other individuals in addition to the 16 on a UN list and expanded the asset freeze to 20 individuals in addition to Gaddafi and five family members, Fellegi said.
EU foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, said the measures aimed to reinforce the Security Council-mandated sanctions against Libya approved over the weekend.
A more complex set of negotiations, she added, were being held over the possibility of creating a no-fly zone over Libya.
The sanctions against Libyan rulers come on the heels of international condemnation and pressure on the Gaddafi regime to renounce power.
Around 2,000 people have been reportedly killed in the violence so far despite the regime’s denial that any kind of force has been used against protesters.
——–Agencies