EU threatens new sanctions on Syria

Moscow is calling for a combination of reforms by the regime and negotiations,without calling for Assad to go. Its provisions are so far finding no traction with the opposition,which dismisses promises as empty gestures.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Wednesday outside forces should let Syrians settle their conflict independently. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov,who met with Assad Tuesday in Damascus,told reporters in Moscow that the Syrian president delegated to his vice-president,Farouk al-Sharaa,responsibility for holding a dialogue with the Opposition.

In Brussels,a senior EU official said the 27-nation bloc will soon impose harsher sanctions against Syria as it seeks to weaken Assads regime.

The official said the new measures may include bans on the import of Syrian phosphates,on commercial flights between Syria and Europe,and on financial transactions with the countrys central bank. The official,who spoke on condition of anonymity,said some measures would be adopted at the EU foreign ministers meeting on February 27.

On the ground,Syrian forces persisted with their assault on Homs,the countrys third largest city. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 53 people were killed in Wednesdays shelling in Homs.