King of Jordan Calls on Assad to Step Down
Jordan's King Abdullah II on Monday became the first Arab leader to call for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down, in a BBC interview.
"I believe, if I were in his shoes, I would step down," the king said. "I would step down and make sure whoever comes behind me has the ability to change the status quo that we're seeing."
Jordan has been critical of its northern neighbor Syria's crackdown on anti-government protesters in recent months.
King Abdullah said Assad should usher in a new era of political dialogue before stepping down.
"Again I don't think the system allows for that, so 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," he told the BBC.
Syria has reacted angrily to the decision at the weekend by the Arab League to suspend the country from the pan-Arab body.
Jordan itself has been the scene of protests since January to demand sweeping economic and political reform.
King Abdullah II appointed a new palace chief on October 25 and instructed him to "meet people's needs," a day after a reform-mandated government took office.
The appointment came a day after the king swore in the 30-strong cabinet of Prime Minister Awn Khasawneh, 61, an International Court of Justice judge, who has pledged to push ahead with political reforms.
The new government took office a week after the monarch appointed Major-General Feisal Shobaki as intelligence chief, instructing him to back Jordan's reform drive and enhance freedoms.
In August, the king spoke of a "tsunami" of change in top state posts to boost his reform plans.
Source: Agence France Presse
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