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| − | EU foreign ministers have imposed a travel ban and asset freeze on the UK-born wife of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad and other family members, diplomats say.
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| − | Asma al-Assad is among 12 people added to the sanctions list, which already includes her husband.
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| − | The ban cannot stop her from travelling to the UK, British officials say.
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| − | Anti-government activists accuse the regime of killing thousands of protesters over the past year.
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| − | In recent weeks, the Damascus government has stepped up its efforts to crush pockets of rebellion in cities including Homs and Hama.
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| − | Russia and China have vetoed two UN Security Council resolutions on Syria for fear that intervention could lead to regime change, as happened in Libya last year.
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| − | Mr Assad has promised political reform, but observers and his opponents have dismissed his plans as window-dressing.
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| − | The BBC's Chris Morris in Brussels says for years there was a perception that Mrs Assad's Western upbringing could encourage reform in Syria.
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| − | The 36-year-old, who is of Syrian descent, was born in the UK and spent much of her life in west London. The UK Border Agency has confirmed that Mrs Assad is British.
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| − | "British citizens subject to EU travel bans cannot be refused entry to the UK," a spokesman said.
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| − | Mrs Assad, who worked as an investment banker in the City of London before her marriage in 2000, has generally played a low-key role in the regime.
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| − | The BBC's Caroline Hawley looks at Asma Assad's UK roots
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| − | However, in February she wrote to Britain's Times newspaper to explain why she thought her husband was still the right man to lead Syria.
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| − | Other members of Mr Assad's family have also been added to the sanctions list. The AFP news agency says these include Mr Assad's mother, sister and sister-in-law.
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