France, Italy, U.K. Urge Sanctions on Syria

With the death toll mounting, the European powers have called on the UN to do something about Syria's crackdown on protesters.

The three countries that spearheaded a NATO intervention in Libya are now calling on the United Nations and European Union to force sanctions on Syria. Britain is planning to send a “strong signal” to Syria, while France and Italy are urging the UN to crack down on President Basher al-Assad's Ba'athist regime, which human-rights groups claim have killed as many as 400 protesters in an ongoing pro-democracy uprising. Communications within Syria have been all but cut, and, despite Syria lifting a nearly 50-year-old emergency law last week, increasingly violent clashes have continued. On Monday, army tanks entered the city at the heart of the uprising, Deraa, and are believed to have fired on civilians.