EU says all options for sanctions are on the table n Rights group CLAIMS death toll rises to 453 AMMAN: Syrian troops tightened control Wednesday over flashpoints of protest against President Bashar Al-Assad, who faced growing international calls to end violence that a rights group said had killed over 450 people. Tanks patrolled the southern city of Deraa, where the uprising against Assad erupted nearly six weeks ago, troops poured overnight into the Damascus suburb of Douma and security forces surrounded the restive coastal city of Banias. Germany said Wednesday it strongly supported European Union sanctions against the Syrian leadership, and the bloc's executive body, the European Commission, said all options were on the table for punitive measures against Damascus. France summoned Syria's ambassador to protest at the violence and said Britain, Spain, Germany and Italy were doing the same. “Syrian authorities must meet the legitimate demands of their people with reforms, and not through the use of force,” French Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said. The United States, which imposed a limited economic embargo against Syria in 2004, says it is considering further targeted sanctions in response to the “abhorrent and deplorable” violence by security forces deployed in the crackdown on protesters. A witness told Reuters that a convoy of at least 30 army tanks headed early Wednesday from southwest of Damascus, near the Golan Heights front line with Israel, in a direction which could take them either to Douma or to Deraa. Overnight, white buses had brought hundreds of soldiers in full combat gear into Douma, from where protesters have tried to march into the centre of the capital in the last two weeks, only to be stopped by bullets. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it had names of at least 453 civilians killed during the protests across the country against Assad's 11-year rule. The unrest could have serious regional repercussions because Syria straddles the fault lines of Middle East conflict. A resident in Deraa, where electricity, water and phone lines were cut when the army rolled in at dawn Monday, said fresh food was running out and grocery stores were giving away their produce. “It's mostly tinned food they are distributing to us,” he said by telephone. A relative said his neighbor saw a tank driving over the body of a young man in the main Tishrin Square Tuesday. “They are telling us: ‘You have to accept us and we will remain forever your rulers, whether you like it or not. And if you resist us, this is your fate',” he said. He said the army push into Deraa was also a warning to other cities of what they could expect if protests continued. “But God willing, we are steadfast and this only strengthens our resolve to get rid of them — not tomorrow, today,” he added. Diplomats said the unit Assad sent into Deraa Monday was the ultra-loyal Fourth Mechanised Division, commanded by his brother Maher. Reports from opposition figures and some Deraa residents, which could not be confirmed, said that some soldiers from another unit had refused to fire on civilians. Syria has blamed armed groups for the violence. Protesters say their rallies have been peaceful and security forces have opened fire on unarmed demonstrators.
