Turkey imposes economic sanctions on Syria

Turkey imposes economic sanctions on Syria

Turkey has announced a raft of economic and financial sanctions on Syria over its violent crackdown on protesters.

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said President Bashar al-Assad's government had "come to the end of the road".

The Arab League announced sanctions last week. It has already suspended Syria, over its failure to implement peace proposals it had agreed to.

Dubai says airlines from the United Arab Emirates will suspend flights to Syria next week under those sanctions.

The UAE's main airlines are Emirates and Etihad.

The United Nations says at least 3,500 people have been killed since the start of protests against Assad's regime.

Travel ban
Turkey's sanctions mostly target the Syrian leadership. The foreign minister said all those responsible for violence against civilians, and businesses close to President Assad, are banned from travelling to Turkey, and their assets there will be frozen.

All financial relations with Syrian state banks are also being stopped. A ban on arms sales is already in place.

Last week a convoy of Turkish buses was fired at by Syrian troops, and the government has warned all Turkish citizens to avoid travelling there