EU working on 7 round of sanctions for Syrian regime

France is in "preparatory" discussions with its European Union partners to draw up a seventh round of sanctions aimed at bringing pressure on the Syrian regime, but little progress is being reported here on a UN Security Council resolution condemning the Syrian repression and placing broader sanctions on Damascus. The new round of sanctions would follow an EU decision last Friday to impose a full embargo on imports of Syrian crude and also to expand the list of individuals and entities targeted by EU asset freezes and travel restrictions. There are now over 50 individuals and nine companies targeted by EU measures. "The sixth round of European sanctions has just been adopted by the Europeans. This sixth round concerns, in effect, Syrian oil exports and we are working with our European partners on a seventh round of sanctions," French Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said in a briefing. "I understand that these will target economic entities which are more or less linked with (the Syrian regime)," he added. Valero again criticized the "sombre task" of repression that is being carried out daily in Syria. "We are in a preparatory and consultation phase with our partners" on new sanctions, he stressed. Separately, Valero said he could not comment on the operations of French oil company Total, which is working in Syria. He said he believed Total was working on the "extraction" of Syrian oil, but claimed he did not have details. The EU has also been considering a total ban on investments in Syria's oil sector but has, so far, not adopted any measures in this area.