U.S. sanctions have "catastrophic effects" on peoples: Syrian FM

DAMASCUS, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad said on Tuesday that the U.S. sanctions and economic siege have had "catastrophic effects" on peoples in the targeted countries.

Mekdad's remarks on the Syrian foreign ministry's official Twitter account came in response to the recent U.S. decision to extend for another year the "Trading with the Enemy Act," a law that justifies the U.S. blockade imposed on Cuba, the only country now restricted under the act, for more than 60 years.

"The blockade and unilateral coercive measures not only run against international law, but also have catastrophic effects on peoples," Mekdad said.

Reeling from a civil war that has lasted more than 11 years, Syria is also under the U.S. sanctions that have targeted almost all aspects of life in the Arab country.