Bush orders new sanctions against Syrian government officials

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
US President George W. Bush ordered new sanctions on Wednesday to punish Syria for allegedly trying to undermine stability in Iraq and undercut Lebanon's sovereignty and democracy. Bush, in an executive order, said he was expanding sanctions against senior government officials in Syria and their associates deemed responsible for or to have benefited from public corruption. The White House said Wednesday's order expanded action taken in May 2004 when Bush issued an executive order banning all US exports to Syria except for food and medicine. He ordered the sanctions then after long-standing complaints that the Middle Eastern nation was supporting international terror and undermining US efforts in Iraq.