Indian diplomats working in Syria found they could no longer transfer money,account-to-account,to their families back home. They could not transfer fees to their childrens school either. Their credit cards wouldnt work. And Indias oil facility in Syria had to cut down production for lack of willing buyers. US sanctions against Syria,targeted against the Bashar Al-Assad regime,have affected the interests of Indians too. The US ban on the export of services to Syria includes banking. In effect since the second week of August,it told on Indian embassy officials last month. Their salaries arrived in the banks but they were not able to transfer the funds to the accounts of family members back home,sources said. The only option they had was to withdraw the money and send it home,the sources said. Indian diplomats then approached US embassy officials in Damascus for exempting diplomatic missions in Syria. Diplomats from other countries,similarly affected,too have raised the issue. Early last week,Indian embassy officials faced the same problem when they sought to pay the fees to the Damascus school their children go to. The funds could not be transferred, an official said. They approached the American embassy again and were reportedly assured that the banks would consider their diplomatic status when dealing with them. But,officials said,they were yet to find a way out and were still talking to bank officials to ensure school fees can be paid on time. ONGC Videsh Ltd,which drills oil from a block in northern Syria,has not been able to sell. There has been a 15 per cent reduction in the production of oil,since no country from the European Union is buying from Syria due to sanctions, official sources said. Then banks that issue credit cards,Visa or Mastercard,have stopped giving exposure to Syria. This has hit commercial transactions in a big way. We are facing an economic war that has been launched against us. If we want to transfer money,it is banned. They want to bring us back to the barter system, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Al Muallem,asked about the impact of sanctions,told The Indian Express. Indias role in trying to block UN sanctions against Syria New Delhi abstained at the UN Security Council early this month has earned wide praise from the people on the streets of Damascus. A visiting Indian delegation was greeted with Thank you India from everyone they met from a tour guide in Damascus to citizens in Alleppo. When this reporter went to Homs,one of the troubled areas in Syria,crowds thronged the vehicle and chanted Thank you,Al Hind. Bouthaina Shaaban,political and media adviser to President Al Assad,told The Indian Express,The Syrian government thanks India for its position at the UN Security Council. We are now planning to move to the east,and that will be a strategic choice. Muallem said,India didnt take its position because they love Syria,but because they love their principles.
