WASHINGTON, Dec 1 (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury Department on Thursday imposed sanctions against two Syrian officials and two firms for supporting the Syrian government and urged more pressure to bring an end to violence against protesters.
Treasury blacklisted Muhammad Makhluf, an uncle of Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad, and Aus Asla who was described as a general in the Syrian military and said Americans are banned from any dealings with them.
It also named the Military Housing Establishment as a Syrian government-controlled company that provides financing to the regime and Real Estate Bank, which Treasury said handles borrowing for the government. Americans are prohibited from any dealings with the firms.
Treasury said it was critical to escalate pressure against the Syrian government to stop the use of brutal tactics against pro-democracy protesters. (Reporting by Glenn Somerville; Editing by James Dalgleish)
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
