European Union countries have decided to stop buying crude oil from Syria as they move to toughen sanctions against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, diplomats from the bloc said Friday according to dpa. The sources were speaking after EU ambassadors met in Brussels to discuss how to respond to the ongoing crackdown on protesters in Syria, where latest reports indicated that at least 19 people were killed Friday by security forces Ambassadors gave the go ahead to strengthening sanctions, "including a ban on the import of Syrian crude oil," one diplomat told the German Press Agency (dpa).