EU questions Syrian regime's legitimacy

European leaders questioned the legitimacy of the Syrian regime on Friday and voiced concerns over Syrian military activity near the Turkish border. A declaration adopted at an EU summit "condemns in the strongest possible terms the ongoing repression and unacceptable and shocking violence the Syrian regime continues to apply against its own citizens." "By choosing a path of repression instead of fulfilling its own promises on broad reforms, the regime is calling its legitimacy into question," the declaration says. "Those responsible for crimes and violence against civilians shall be held accountable." The declaration coincided with another day of violence in Syria, where security forces fired on demonstrations, killing 11 people as tens of thousands of anti-regime protesters surged onto Syrian streets after Friday prayers. On Thursday, Syrian troops backed by tanks entered a border zone, sending hundreds of people fleeing into Turkey and prompting US warnings of risks for the region. The EU declaration "notes with grave concern reports of Syrian military activity close to the Turkish border at Khirbet al-Jouz and reiterates previous calls for maximum restraint." British Prime Minister David Cameron said he pushed for the EU to voice concern over the activities of Syrian troops near the Turkish border. "What is happening in Syria is quite appalling, thousands of people are being killed, tens of thousands have been interned," Cameron told a news conference. The leaders welcomed the adoption of fresh sanctions against Syria, in which seven individuals and four businesses were added to a list of people targeted by an assets freeze and travel ban. The new list includres three commanders of Iran's Revolutionary Guard accused of aiding the regime's crackdown. The Guard's chief, Brigadier Commander Mohammad Ali Jafari, is on the list along with Major General Qasem Soleimani, commander of the guard's Qods unit, and Hossein Taeb, deputy commander for intelligence. The EU leaders also called for the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution condemning the crackdown, a move opposed by veto-wielding member Russia. The declaration "lends its full support to diplomatic efforts aimed at ensuring that the UN Security Council can assume its responsibility and give adequate response to the situation in Syria."