Royal Dutch Shell said yesterday it would cease operations in Syria to heed new European Union sanctions against Damascus for its violent crackdown on popular unrest. Royal Dutch Shell said it would be shutting down in Syria to heed a batch of EU sanctions slapped on Syria\'s economically vital oil and financial sectors the day before. A Shell spokesman said: \"Our main priority is the safety of our employees ... We hope the situation improves quickly for all Syrians.\" The EU yesterday extended sanctions to three Syrian oil concerns, including the state-owned General Petroleum Corporation (GPC) and Syria Trading Oil (Sytrol), to crank up the financial pressure on President Bashar Al Assad\'s government.