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Miguel Medina / AFP - Getty Images
A 2008 photo shows Syrian first lady Asma Assad visiting the Louvre museum in Paris.
The European Union banned the wife of Syrian President Bashar Assad from traveling to the EU or shopping at European companies in a move to stop her from buying the Chanel dresses and Louboutin shoes she apparently craves.
The EU's latest round of sanctions, which also targeted the president's mother and sister, is notable for including Assad's London-born wife Asma, whose luxury shopping habit was laid bare this month in a cache of hacked emails.
Assad has been the target of sanctions since May last year, but these have so far had little impact on his policies. Violence has intensified in Syria in recent weeks as pro-government forces bombard rebel towns and villages, looking to sweep their lightly armed opponents out of their strongholds.
After Friday's decision, EU border guards will refuse Asma entry if she tries to travel into the bloc, though Britain will have to allow her in if she uses a British passport.
"British nationals, British passport holders do obviously have a right of entry to the United Kingdom," Foreign Secretary William Hague told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.
Report: 'I am the real dictator,' wife of Syria's Bashar Assad says
"But given that we are imposing an asset freeze on all of these individuals, and a travel ban on other members of the same family and the regime, we're not expecting Mrs. Assad to try to travel to the United Kingdom at the moment," he said.
Europe's attempts to punish Syria's brutal regime turned today to the British-born wife of President Assad. Asma Assad was banned from traveling to Europe and her financial assets were frozen. But the sanctions may be largely impotent, as a UK passport holder she can't be prevented from entering the UK. ITV's Paul Davies reports
A former investment banker, Asma Assad once cultivated the image of a serious-minded woman inspired by liberal values.
But she appears to have continued a life of luxury shopping and entertainment during the uprising against the four-decade rule of the Assad family, while according to the United Nations at least 8,000 people have been killed in the violence.
Emails she exchanged with her husband, obtained by Britain's Guardian newspaper, apparently showed they were buying pop music and luxury goods on the internet during the bloodshed.
Making sanctions personal
Asma Assad, a 36-year-old mother of three, was shown to have a penchant for crystal-encrusted Christian Louboutin shoes and Chanel dresses from France.
Before the Syrian insurgency started a year ago, a glowing article in Vogue magazine described her as "a rose in the desert" and her household as "wildly democratic."
But that image has crumbled as the emails showed her spending tens of thousands of pounds on jewels, fancy furniture, and a Venetian glass vase from Harrods.
EU foreign ministers also added other Syrians to a list of those facing asset freezes and bans on travel to the bloc, and barred EU companies from doing business with two Syrian oil companies, EU officials said.
The decisions, which come into force on Saturday, follow 12 previous rounds of sanctions aimed at isolating Assad within Syria and cutting off his sources of finance. These included an arms embargo and a ban on importing Syrian oil into the EU.
"With this new listing we are striking at the heart of the Assad clan, sending out a loud and clear message to Mr. Assad: he should step down," Dutch Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal said.
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said the international community's objective was "a situation where Assad recognizes his responsibility, moves aside and we are able to see a genuine movement forward in Syria".
The international community has struggled to formulate a joint approach to Syria in the face of opposition from Russia and China to U.N. Security Council resolutions proposed by the West.
French foreign minister Alain Juppe called on the Syrian opposition to unite and present a plan to EU leaders. Such a move had been crucial for the Libyan opposition last year, and had helped galvanize Western support.
It is a priority "to convince the opposition to get together and organize itself. You can't win when you're divided," he said. "I make a reference to the National Transition Council in Libya, which came to Brussels to present its political road map, and that had a lot of impact to give it credibility. The Syrian opposition needs to do the same."
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What a fox,not bad for as ugly as he is.
i wish you leave this people alone , i think alot of countreis will be in much better shape if it was not for the darn French England and Sauidies and Qataries i think they are the roots of all evil and been for years, the problem is they got so blind that we do not see it , we always blame the Chineese and the Russians HECK i donot see or hear of them attacking other countreis and stealing their wealth Europe BEEN DOING THAT FOR YEARS , Did we forget they came here and try to take our wealth and killed our peoples , how quik we forget , they are back to their old tricks because they having money problems , so lets go to these little countreis and steal their wealth like we use to do and we call it free the people , ITS BS AND WE KNOW it .
Did you ever hear of Tibet or( just about) all of Eastern Europe?
For what I understand europian settlers took this land from the native american people. So who are you refering to whom people?
she looks really bad to be dressed so luxuriously when her own ppl are without bread. she sticks out like a sore thumbbecause she is selfish. she should keep some money to live on, but the rest she be spent on the well being of the ppl
Asma Assad sort of reminds me about Suha Arafat who, as the wife of Yasser Arafat, used to drive around Gaza City and Ramallah in her luxury Mercedes while the rest of her people had "donkey carts". That was until good old Yasser died and the Palestinian Authority had to pay her off (to get her to just "go away").Now,Suha is a wealthy sociallite in Paris.
If the E.U. is banning Asma Assad from buying those $7000.00 "crystal studded" shoes from anywhere inside the E.U., maybe Suha Arafat can give her one of her pairs!
Susan, nice thought but I'm afraid it will never happen.
Good Citizen, apparently my turn only remembers history that is beneficial to him. He forgot who this land originally belonged to. Luckily for us we have learned to move on without pointing fingers. For all it's wrongs I still love this country. God Bless the Apache Nation.
MY Turn--- Jezzzzz. The Russian stole all of eastern Europe. It wasn't until they went broke that they let the other countries go. The Russians are just about the only ally Syria has that is European. CHINA!!! Have you read about Tibet, Nepal, any every where the Chinese border another country. If it wasn't but for Iran, Syrian would probably be under a different government right now. If you think America wants to come there, you are severely demented. If America, Britain or France drops one bomb anywhere near Syria, they will have to rebuild the entire country and finance the new government and fight our way out through the ungrateful people we helped. believe me, we all want the Arab League to do what ever has to be done in Syria. That way, they can go ahead and fight it out with Iran or should I say Persia. Eventually the greed and corruption will get the best of Assad and he will have to start something with Israel in hope of getting some support. Then all the Mideast will burn. Get use to being poor, hungry, sick and uneducated. That is the only way the Islamic extremists can maintain control over there. This is an Arab and Islamic problem. The Arab League needs to take care of it. The civilized world should stand back and make sure they do nothing to help Assad and his Iranian shia brothers.
The Arab League is requesting that the "West" do all of the "dirty work" for them so that they can stand by and reap the benefits of a successful operation and then critisize us (and "bill us") for anything that "goes wrong"!
All those all mighty "sanctions"... What a joke! They pull their money long time ago... They have it in a Russian bank (like Zenith?)... It's clear that she can flight freely to UK... and buy whatever she wants... In the last case, just to avoid the "press", she can flught to Russia and / or China (Hong Kong?) and spend there, in the exclusive shops and boutiques of Chanel, Versace and, of course, her Christian Louboutin shoes... while the cruelty and bloodshed of more than 10.000 people can continue... With the wide-closed-eyes approval of Russia and China... And the world continue with its polite sanctions and diplomatic steps... What a joke!!!
The EU has put a travel and shopping ban on her? Owww that ought to bring her hubby under control. LOL
How come Syria's First Lady isn't wearing a Burka, or head veil?---Does she have a religion?
Is she above the Islamic Law?--Did the Koran tell her she is an Angel, and "Where Angel's Fear to Tread"? except for buying $7,000.00 pairs of shoes, all luxury items in EU, while most Syrian Citizens are being tortured, and slaughtered, starving for food, and housing?.
Most Syrians have no idea how their Dictators live---the Middle Eastern Country's/N. African Dictators treat them all like the Sand they are used to walking on---non persona grata.
Should we cater to these Despots, and now the wives are 'coming out" declaring they are the Power behind the Throne--Are the Dictators weak?
Assad and his wife are doomed. She better go buy more Designer Shoes, etc. in some place other than Europe. Maybe Chavez of Venezuela, Putin of Russia, Ahdinemajad of Iran has stores she can shop in. There she just might get her shoes there.
Hawaii2,
See my comment in the last paragraph of #4.1 above!
Hawaii2 Syria is one the most secular Islamic nations, women drive and don't have to wear veils, actually they can wear pants, jeans, put makeup and shave their armpits as in the picture. Ignorant people like you that learn about other countries by reading the biased news don't know that. If the Islamic rebels win, then perhaps the burqa will be the national dress for all Syrian women and all the Christians will become oppressed like in Iraq after the fall of Saddam.
Oh boy!!!!! they are opening a can of worms on this one. I told my wife that she couldn`t go shopping ,, She took a broom stick to my head. Hell hath no fury like a woman kept from her shopping. We all better duck and cover because this woman gonna go ballistic if she cant get her shoes..
I totally support these sanctions. Here's more on the topic and the dictators' wives ()