As I noted last night, negotiations to finalize a European Union embargo on Syrian oil hit a snag when Italy demanded that sanctions be delayed until November 30. Today the Italians compromised, but only a little — the sanctions, which will be formally announced on Friday, will begin November 15.
When the sanctions do go into effect, they’ll have a bigger impact on the Assad regime than any diplomatic move so far. While Rome’s insistence on the 10-week delay is pretty shameful, I won’t be quite as hard on Italy as her own potty-mouthed prime minister.
