Moscow said on Saturday it would not cooperate with a new round of European Union sanctions against Syria, stressing it would refuse inspections of ships flying the Russian flag.

Moscow said on Saturday it would not cooperate with a new round of European Union sanctions against Syria, stressing it would refuse inspections of ships flying the Russian flag.

"We do not plan to take any part in measures carrying out European Union decisions directed against Syria," foreign ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich was quoted as saying in a statement.

"Among other things we will not consider requests and give consent to the search of ships sailing under the Russian flag, nor to the use of other restrictive measures," said the statement posted on the ministry's website.

Earlier this week the EU beefed up sanctions against President Bashar al-Assad's regime and agreed to tighten an arms embargo by inspecting vessels and planes suspected of carrying arms.
Russia on Wednesday condemned the new round of EU sanctions against Syria.