Report: Assad Spared from EU Sanctions Over 7 Estonians

Estonia has pressured the European Union to hold off sanctioning Syrian President Bashar Assad “to protect” seven Estonian tourists who were kidnapped in eastern Lebanon in March, An Nahar daily reported Sunday.

The newspaper said that Estonia pressured its European partners over fears on the safety of the seven men who were last seen on March 23, when they went missing in the Bekaa Valley after entering Lebanon from Syria on a cycling trip.

According to An Nahar, the Estonian pressure was a hint that the cyclists have been moved across the porous border to Syria.

The seven men begged Lebanese, Saudi, Jordanian and French leaders to secure their release in a YouTube video authenticated by Estonia last month.

On Friday, the EU agreed punitive sanctions against 13 Syrian officials involved in the regime's savage crackdown on protests, but momentarily held off sanctioning Assad.