US hails EU sanctions against Syria, seeks to force President Assad to step aside

The United States on Saturday welcomed the EU decision to ban crude oil imports from Syria.

"These sanctions send a powerful signal to the Assad regime to end the violence and allow a peaceful political transition to begin," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland claimed in a statement.

Washington's support was in contrast to Russian disapproval of the European Union oil embargo, voiced by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov earlier Saturday.

The United States, Nuland went on to say, will work with international partners "to add political and economic pressure in an effort to force President Assad to step aside and allow the Syrian people to effect a peaceful transition that is democratic and inclusive."

The EU also expanded its list of pro-government figures and firms targeted by an assets freeze and travel ban, adding four businessmen accused of bankrolling the regime and three firms, diplomats said.

In Paris on Thursday for an international meeting on Libya, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that Syria's leader needed to "step aside" and that world powers must "translate our rhetoric into concrete action to escalate the pressure on Assad."