U.S. mulling sanctions on Syrian officials

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration is considering sanctions against senior officials in the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in a bid to ratchet up pressure for an end to a violent crackdown on protesters, a U.S. official said on Monday.

The measures, which could freeze those officials' assets and ban them from doing business in the United States, would likely come in the form of an executive order signed by U.S. President Barack Obama, the U.S. official said.

But a final decision has yet to be made on the exact timing of such a move and there was no immediate word whether Assad might be among those targeted for sanctions, as human rights groups have urged.

Sanctions would mark an escalation of the U.S. response to Assad's efforts to crush a month-long uprising against his autocratic 11-year rule.

Obama's response so far has been limited to tough words but little concrete action against the Syrian government, in contrast to Washington's role in a NATO-led air campaign against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

Washington is mindful of its limited ability to influence Damascus, which is closely allied with U.S. foe Iran and has had chilly relations with the United States. It is cautious about further military entanglement in the Muslim world where it is already involved in long wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Despite that, U.S. officials were looking for new pressure points with Assad's government as Syrian troops and tanks poured into Deraa on Monday where anti-government activists said at least five people were killed.

OBAMA DENOUNCES CRACKDOWN

Obama, in a statement on Friday, told Syria that its bloody crackdown on protesters "must come to an end now" and accused Damascus of seeking Iranian help to repress its people.

"The brutal violence used by the government of Syria against its people is completely deplorable," White House spokesman Tommy Vietor said on Monday.

"The United States is pursuing a range of possible policy options, including targeted sanctions, to respond to the crackdown and make clear that this behaviour is unacceptable," he said. "The Syrian people's call for freedom of expression, association, peaceful assembly, and the ability to freely choose their leaders must be heard.

Assad lifted Syria's 48-year state of emergency on Thursday but activists say the violence the following day, when 100 people were killed during protests across the country, showed he was not serious about addressing calls for political freedom.

Questions have been raised whether imposing U.S. sanctions against Assad and his inner circle -- like the measures taken against Gaddafi and his loyalists -- would have much tangible impact.

The United States and other Western powers have been trying for the last two years to woo Assad away from Tehran and encourage the British-trained eye doctor to reach a peace deal with Israel that could remove a major source of regional friction.

The Obama administration sent an ambassador back to Damascus this year. Even while maintaining support for Lebanese Hezbollah and Palestinian Hamas militants, Assad has kept Syria's border with Israel quiet.

Western sanctions could push Syria more tightly into Tehran's embrace and risk further regional instability. Independent analysts have also raised concern that the collapse of Assad's minority Alawite rule in the majority Sunni country might lead to sectarian conflict.

(Reporting by Matt Spetalnick, Editing by Sandra Maler and Deborah Charles)