DUBAI, United Arab Emirates—The leader of Jordan, King Abdullah, became the first leader in the region to say that the Syrian President Bashar al Assad should step down in the interests of his country.
The monarch’s call and comes just days after the intergovernmental body of the Arab League suspended Syria’s membership.
“I believe, if I were in his shoes, I would step down,” Abdullah told the BBC in an exclusive interview, referring to al Assad.
“I would step down and make sure whoever comes behind me has the ability to change the status quo that we’re seeing.”
He said that al Assad should also lay the groundwork for debate over the future of the country.
“If Bashar has the interest of his country, he would step down, but he would also create an ability to reach out and start a new phase of Syrian political life,” the king added.
The U.N. estimates that so far 3,500 people have been killed since protests began against al Assad’s government in March.
The crackdown on dissent has left Syria increasingly isolated in the region, with Qatar and Saudi Arabia ambassadors leaving Damascus this summer.
A new unanimous vote among regional government representatives in Cairo saw the Syria suspended from the Arab League with the threat of sanctions if the country does not implement measures agreed upon with the League earlier this month. The League will hold another meeting on Syria Wednesday.
On Monday, the Syrian foreign minister Walid al-Moallem described the suspension as “shameful and malicious.”
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