(Washington Post) Glenn Kessler - The Obama administration rolled out new sanctions Wednesday, attempting to plug leaks in existing sanctions and asserting, as Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner did, that they were the "first steps to implement and build on" a resolution passed by the UN Security Council last week. But Treasury and State Department officials later acknowledged that all of the actions announced Wednesday did not require the latest UN resolution for action and could have been imposed months earlier. To keep up a sense of momentum, EU governments are also poised to announce Thursday that they will pursue sanctions that go beyond the UN resolution, including prohibiting new investments and technical assistance in some parts of the oil and gas industry. The announcement will set broad guidelines for sanctions that will be written and shaped by EU officials in the coming weeks.
2010-06-17 10:46:15Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive