King Abdullah of Jordan: "If Bashar had an interest in his country he would step down"
Jordan's king has become the first Arab leader to openly say Syrian President Bashar al-Assad should stand down.
King Abdullah told the BBC that if he were in Mr Assad's position, he would make sure "whoever comes behind me has the ability to change the status quo".
He urged President Assad to launch dialogue with the opposition to effect an orderly transition.
Arab leaders have increasingly criticised the crackdown in Syria after months of violence.
Both the Saudi and Qatari ambassadors left Damascus in protest at the repression. The Arab League voted on Saturday to suspend Syria's membership.
However King Abdullah went further than other Arab leaders in his exclusive interview with BBC World News television.
"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 said.
"That's the only way I would see it work and I don't think people are asking that question," he added.
Jordan, which borders Syria, has been increasingly critical of the crackdown on anti-government protesters.League suspension
Earlier on Monday, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem reacted defiantly to the Arab League's suspension.
The league is set to hold another meeting to discuss Syria on Wednesday.
In Brussels, European foreign ministers are shortly expected to approve moves to tighten sanctions against Syria.
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe has said it is time to see how Syria's civilian population could be better protected and said he hoped the UN Security Council would finally take a position on the matter.
The UN says more than 3,500 people have died since the start of the protests in March while the Syrian authorities blame the violence on terrorists.
BBC
King Abdullah told the BBC that if he were in Mr Assad's position, he would make sure "whoever comes behind me has the ability to change the status quo".
He urged President Assad to launch dialogue with the opposition to effect an orderly transition.
Arab leaders have increasingly criticised the crackdown in Syria after months of violence.
Both the Saudi and Qatari ambassadors left Damascus in protest at the repression. The Arab League voted on Saturday to suspend Syria's membership.
However King Abdullah went further than other Arab leaders in his exclusive interview with BBC World News television.
"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 said.
"That's the only way I would see it work and I don't think people are asking that question," he added.
Jordan, which borders Syria, has been increasingly critical of the crackdown on anti-government protesters.League suspension
Earlier on Monday, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem reacted defiantly to the Arab League's suspension.
The league is set to hold another meeting to discuss Syria on Wednesday.
In Brussels, European foreign ministers are shortly expected to approve moves to tighten sanctions against Syria.
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe has said it is time to see how Syria's civilian population could be better protected and said he hoped the UN Security Council would finally take a position on the matter.
The UN says more than 3,500 people have died since the start of the protests in March while the Syrian authorities blame the violence on terrorists.
BBC
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