"The future of Syria must be determined by its people, but President Bashar al-Assad is standing in their way," Obama said in a statement. "His calls for dialogue and reform have rung hollow while he is imprisoning, torturing, and slaughtering his own people.”
"For the sake of the Syrian people, the time has come for President Assad to step aside."
AFP adds
US imposes sanctions on Syria
The United States has barred trade with five Syrian energy companies as part of broad sanctions to pressure Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down, the Treasury Department said Thursday.
President Barack Obama has ordered sanctions against General Petroleum Corporation, Syrian Company for Oil Transport, Syrian Gas Company, Syrian Petroleum Company, and Sytrol, the department said in a statement.
EU calls for Assad to step down
The European Union called Thursday for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down, saying that his regime had lost all legitimacy and credibility.
"The EU notes the complete loss of Bashar al-Assad's legitimacy in the eyes of the Syrian people and the necessity for him to step aside," foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said in a statement, shortly after US President Barack Obama also demanded that Assad quit.
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@Mohammad Ali Siddiqui: No, it's really not. There will be no uprising in the US due to Obama. At least nothing close to what you're thinking. The US and the others aren't even comparable. It's something I always see. Everyone seems to have this automatic belief that life in the US is similar to their own in that part of the world. It's really nothing close. It's not perfect but you certainly don't know much about the reality of it. It goes to show that many times negative shots taken at the US for the most part are just the product of fools and the delusional. You guys really don't seem to have a remote grasp on anything concerning life in the US.
hahah..wasnt this the west or moreover israel wanted?.... the started all this in a planned manner.and we point our fingers to their conspiracy they give teh name of conspiracy theory..wow..today they have done it with libya, tomorrow syria and day after will be Pakistan's turn..and we the people of Pakistan will wait for it and will do nothing about it!.
Assad slaughters his own people -- and for the most part the Muslim World sits back and says nothing. Whats up with that?
The Arab leaders are calling for US President Barack Hussein Obama to step down. So who is going to step down first? The uprising in America is also possible due to its weak economy and an ordinary US citizens is not satisfied with the working of Mr. Barack Obama.
@IlovePakistan: Why would you even say such thing ? In UK openly contested free election is held every few years ... Cameron was elected by the majority of voters and there is an opposition who contested these elections too but has less majority from David ... How can you even compare that with Syria is beyond me, where there is just one single party and no competition is allowed. All these self proclaimed leaders who don't get elected by their people should be forced to leave so that native people can elect who ever they want to run their country.
According to US Government, in Saudi Arabia the principal human rights issues include abuse of prisoners and incommunicado detention; prohibitions or severe restrictions on freedom of speech, press, peaceful assembly and association, and religion; denial of the right of citizens to change their government; systematic discrimination against women and ethnic and religious minorities; and suppression of workers' rights - so why do we not see any action against the apartheid Kingdom????
Why not asking Cameroon to step down for failing on protecting the security and lives of people.