BRUSSELS (Reuters) – European Union foreign ministers agreed new sanctions against Syria Monday, targeting its central bank and seven cabinet ministers to try to curb funding for the government and increase pressure on President Bashar al-Assad.

The measures, expected to be enforced this week, include prohibiting trade in gold and other precious metals with Syrian state institutions and a ban on cargo flights from Syria operated by the country’s carriers.

BRUSSELS, Feb 23 (Reuters) – European Union
governments may agree in coming weeks on rules to stop the
global electronic money transfer system SWIFT doing business
with Iranian banks, EU officials said on Thursday.

The new regulations are part of a push by the United States
and Europe to starve the Iranian government of funds and
persuade it to hold back on its nuclear programme, which they
fear aims to produce bombs. Tehran says it needs atomic energy
to meet its electricity needs.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union lifted travel restrictions against Myanmar president Thein Sein and other top officials on Friday in a first step towards rewarding the government for democratic reforms after half a century of military rule.

The bloc’s foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, also held out the prospect of a further easing of sanctions, which target nearly a thousand firms and institutions with asset freezes, impose restrictions on hundreds of officials and include an arms embargo and investment bans.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – EU governments could supply Syrian rebels with communications equipment to help them organise against government troops, and are likely to continue building up sanctions against Damascus, according to a top Danish diplomat.

Denmark’s foreign minister Villy Sovndal, whose country holds the EU’s rotating presidency, told Reuters EU states would not provide arms to the Syrian opposition battling against a violent government assault — echoing concerns in Washington about an arms race in Syria — but could offer other help.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – EU governments could supply Syrian rebels with communications equipment to help them organize against government troops, and are likely to continue building up sanctions against Damascus, according to a top Danish diplomat.

Denmark’s foreign minister Villy Sovndal, whose country holds the EU’s rotating presidency, told Reuters EU states would not provide arms to the Syrian opposition battling against a violent government assault — echoing concerns in Washington about an arms race in Syria — but could offer other help.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – NATO is to buy five U.S.-made unmanned drone aircraft capable of countering Afghan insurgents, hunting pirates off Somalia or monitoring arms embargoes, an alliance official said on Wednesday.

The drones are part of the Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) project, scheduled to begin operating between 2015 and 2017. The project reflects NATO efforts to cooperate more closely with its member states on defense costs and capabilities at a time of financial constraints.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – President Bashar al-Assad still has support from Syria’s middle class and the opposition is fragmented, raising the risk of a slide into full-scale civil war that inflames the region, Turkey’s ambassador to the European Union has warned.

Turkey, Syria’s largest neighbor, is also concerned that sanctions being imposed on Damascus by the European Union and the United States will not succeed in forcing Assad from power, while Iran and Russia provide him with steady support.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Afghanistan could end up fighting Taliban insurgents with a national army and police force two-thirds the size envisaged, if plans discussed on Friday by NATO defense ministers, trying to balance security needs with budget cuts, gain traction.

The Afghan security force is due to grow to a peak of 352,000 by October, part of a hugely expensive drive to beef up their strength to deal with Taliban insurgents and allow the bulk of Western combat forces to withdraw by the end of 2014.

BRUSSELS, Feb 3 (Reuters) – European Union governments
could ban the sales of some telecommunications equipment to Iran
in the coming months under plans for new sanctions discussed by
EU experts in Brussels.

EU diplomats said on Friday the bloc’s 27 governments have
reached an agreement in principle to target equipment that could
be used by the Iranian authorities for monitoring of
anti-government dissent.

TEHRAN/BRUSSELS, Jan 23 (Reuters) – Iran accused
Europeans on Monday of waging “psychological warfare” after the
EU banned imports of Iranian oil, joining the United States in
new sanctions aimed at preventing Tehran from getting nuclear
weapons.

The Islamic Republic, which denies trying to build an atom
bomb, scoffed at efforts to choke its oil exports, as Asia lines
up to buy what Europe scorns.