Brussels  - The European Union is set to extend the bloc's arms embargo, trade restrictions and visa bans on Myanmar and its leaders until April 2010, diplomats in Brussels said Friday.

EU foreign ministers are set to discuss the situation in Myanmar at a meeting in Luxembourg on Monday. Diplomatic sources say that they are likely to prolong the bloc's sanctions for a year in protest at the Myanmar government's crackdown on pro-democracy forces.

The EU's sanctions include an arms embargo, restrictions on investment and non-humanitarian aid, asset freezes and visa bans on over 500 regime figures and their relatives, and trade and investment bans on over 80 businesses linked to the regime.

Officials in Brussels said that the bloc would consider strengthening the sanctions if the Myanmar regime does not improve its ties with the pro-democracy movement, but could be willing to ease it if the situation on the ground improved. (dpa)