Press Release

Syrian Coalition

January 23, 2015

In response to the EU General Court’s decision to uphold the sanctions listing of Mohammed Makhlouf, the Syrian Coalition’s Representative to the Benelux and EU, Mouaffaq Nyrabia, said:

“The Syrian Coalition welcomes the judgement by the EU’s General Court on 21 January to uphold sanctions against Mohammed Makhlouf, Bashar al Assad’s uncle. The evidence presented to the Courts was clear: Makhlouf is part of Assad’s inner circle and a member of the economic ruling class who are playing a direct role in the funding of a brutal regime responsible for the deaths of over 200,000 Syrians.

These crony businessmen have as much blood on their hands as those in the regime’s military and are responsible for the indiscriminate shelling, chemical weapons attacks and barrel bombs being dropped on our people. We therefore encourage the EU to intensify its sanctions effort, including by designating the economic ruling class including the regime’s inner circle and members of the Assad and Makhlouf families.

A sustainable political process will only be viable when the regime feels pressure to make concessions at the negotiating table. The EU sanctions effort is playing, and has the potential to play, a decisive role in this process.”