Washington: Expressing his dismay over the
continued and "unacceptable" level of violence in Syria, US
President Barack Obama has urged the country`s president
Bashar al-Assad to step aside.
"Unfortunately, we`re continuing to see unacceptable
levels of violence inside that country," Obama said in his
joint press conference with the visiting King Abdullah of
Jordan.
The two leaders had held meeting at the White House
discussing a range of regional issues including the situation
in the region, the peace talks between Israel and Palestine
and the situation in countries like Yemen and Syria, besides
Iran.
Obama reiterated that the US will continue to consult
very closely with Jordan to create the kind of international
pressure and environment that encourages the current Syrian
regime to step aside so that a more democratic process of
transition can take place inside the country.
"We talked about the importance of us continuing to
consult closely together to encourage the Palestinians and the
Israelis to come back to the table and negotiate in a serious
fashion a peaceful way forward.
And the Jordanians have taken great leadership on this
issue, and we very much appreciate their direction on this
issue," he said.
The US president also lauded the king for his efforts in
guiding political reform inside Jordan and for responding to
the legitimate concerns and aspirations, both political and
economical, of the country`s population.
"We also talked about a number of regional issues,
including Iraq and Iran, but uppermost on our minds right now
is the issue of Syria," he said.
In his remarks, King Abdullah appreciated the historical
support that the two countries have enjoyed.
"And again, our personal friendship, which is very, very
strong, has allowed us to look at the challenges that the
Israelis and Palestinians face," he said.
However, Abdullah added that the US and Jordan are in
coordination on regular basis to solve the impasse the two
nations share on the Israel and Palestinian conflict.
PTI
