France demands tougher EU sanctions on Myanmar

PARIS (Reuters) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy urged the European Union on Tuesday to impose tougher sanctions on Myanmar, denouncing a court ruling against opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi as "brutal and unjust."

Suu Kyi was sentenced to 18 months detention on Tuesday after a U.S. man swam uninvited to her lakeside home in May and stayed there for two days, breaching the terms of her house arrest.

Sarkozy's office said in a statement that Suu Kyi had been victim of a political trial that was aimed at preventing her from fighting for a free and democratic state.

"The Burmese authorities have shown with this iniquitous ruling their decision to ignore pressing messages from the international community," the statement said.

"The president asks the European Union to react rapidly by adopting new sanctions against the Burmese regime, which should particularly target the resources that it profits directly from -- wood and ruby mining," it added.

(Reporting by Crispian Balmer)