August 11, 2011
White House: Syria would be a better place without Assad
The White House said Obama and Erdogan also agreed that the demands of the Syrian people for a transition to democracy must be met, and that the pair agreed to consult closely in the coming days as the situation in Syria develops.
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U.S. President Barack Obama makes a statement on the debt-ceiling bill in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington August 2, 2011. REUTERS/Larry Downing
President Barack Obama emphasized his deep concern about the Syrian government’s use of violence against civilians in a phone call Thursday with Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, the White House said.
The two leaders agreed that the bloodshed must immediately end, the White House said. Separately, presidential spokesman Jay Carney stopped just short of calling for President Bashar Assad’s ouster, saying that Syria “would be a much better place without him.”
“We believe that President Assad’s opportunity to lead the transition has passed,” Carney told reporters traveling on Air Force One with Obama to Michigan.
The developments came as violence escalated against demonstrators in Syria and as the Obama administration, which announced new sanctions against Syria Wednesday, appeared to move closer to calling directly for Assad to step down.
Read more at Haaretz.com.
