BEIRUT: Syrian tycoon Rami Makhlouf, cousin of President Bashar Assad, is quitting business and moving to charity work, state television said Thursday, a move that would meet a demand of protesters seeking an end to Assad’s rule.

Makhlouf, a hated figure among protesters, owns Syria’s largest mobile phone company, Syriatel, and several large construction and oil firms. He has expanded his businesses during Assad’s rule and has been widely cited by protesters in their calls for an end to public corruption.

“As for his businesses, they will be directed so that they … create jobs and support the national economy. He will not enter into any new project that [brings] him personal gain,” state television said of Makhlouf.
State media reported Makhlouf would direct profits to charity and humanitarian works “from Deraa to Qamishle” and would allocate profits to the families of martyrs in Syria who died in recent unrest.
He said he would build residences and work with banks to provide loans to families, state media reported.
The European Union listed Makhlouf and 12 Syrian officials on its sanctions list which includes asset freezes and travel bans.

The surprise announcement came as U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon Thursday urged Assad’s regime “to stop killing people,” as pressure mounted on Damascus over its widening crackdown in the north.
Ban, who was in Brazil as part of a Latin America tour in support of his bid for re-election as U.N. secretary-general, told reporters that Assad should “engage in an inclusive dialogue” and “take bold … measures before it is too late.”
The comments were the strongest yet from the U.N. chief, and came as Western members of the Security Council were struggling to push through a resolution to condemn Syria’s attacks on civilian protesters.

The United States, Britain and France are pushing for the measure, but Russia and China are resisting. Brazil, which has a non-permanent seat on the Security Council, is also against a condemnation, but is willing to vote for a resolution taking note of the parlous situation in Syria.
Ban said he was seeking a coherent U.N. position on the matter. In Uruguay Wednesday, he stressed that Assad had to implement reforms called for by Syrian protesters “before it is too late,” adding that he was “deeply concerned about the situation in Syria.”

More than 1,200 people have died and some 10,000 have been detained in Syria since the mid-March eruption of pro-democracy protests inspired by the uprisings that toppled long-standing rulers in Egypt and Tunisia.
A fierce military assault centered on the northwestern town of Jisr al-Shughour has sent refugees streaming out of Syria, with some 8,500 living in camps inside Turkey and another 5,000 taking refuge in Lebanon.
Syrians fleeing military gunfire told AFP Thursday that new villages around Jisr al-Shughour were being attacked by tanks and snipers.

The United States meanwhile said it was in contact with opposition figures inside and outside Syria. A State Department spokeswoman said the regime’s attacks were “revolting” and showed Assad had ignored U.S. President Barack Obama’s warning to lead change or “get out of the way.”
The European Union was looking to toughen two sets of sanctions that are already being applied against Syria over the crackdown.
The U.N. Human Rights Council reiterated Wednesday its call for Syria to allow a U.N. mission into the country to probe human rights violations.