The European Union reached an agreement in principle Monday to ban oil imports from Syria to punish the regime for its brutal crackdown on protesters, diplomats said.
"There is a political consensus on a European embargo of imports of Syrian petroleum products," a diplomat told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The new sanctions were backed by all representatives at a meeting of experts from the 27-nation bloc in Brussels, another diplomat said.

Individual EU governments are expected to give their final approval by the end of the week, the diplomat said.
The EU buys 95 percent of the oil Syria exports, representing nearly one-third of government receipts, according to diplomats.

EU governments are still debating whether to add a ban on investments in the Syrian oil sector, diplomats said.
The EU has already imposed a set of assets freezes and travel bans against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his regime.

Iran's elite Al-Quds force, accused of providing support to Syria's repressive machine, five Syrian generals and the military intelligence network in Damascus were added to the blacklist last week.
The list covered by EU asset freezes and travel bans now runs to 50 people and nine entities.
-AFP/NOW Lebanon