Obama, Erdogan discuss Syria

U.S. President Barack Obama said here Thursday that the pressure of the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad will keep increasing. During a joint press conference with Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Obama said "we're going to keep increasing the pressure on the Assad regime and working with the Syrian opposition." "We both agree that Assad needs to go. He needs to transfer power to a transitional body. That is the only way that we're going to resolve this crisis," he stressed. He added "we're going to keep working for a Syria that is free from Assad's tyranny, that is intact and inclusive of all ethnic and religious groups and that's a source of stability, not extremism, because it's in the profound interest of all our nations, especially Turkey." Obama noted that "there's no magic formula for dealing with an extraordinarily violent and difficult situation like Syria's," saying if there was, "I think the prime minister and I would have already acted on it and it would already be finished." "Instead, what we have to do is apply steady international pressure, strengthen the opposition," he remarked. For his part, the Turkish Prime Minister stressed that "ending this bloody process in Syria and meeting the legitimate demands of the people by establishing a new government are two areas where we are in full agreement with the United States." He affirmed that "supporting the opposition and Assad leaving are important issues." "We also agree that we have to prevent Syria from becoming an area for terrorist organizations. We also agree that chemical weapons should not be used, and all minorities and their rights should be secured. These are all priority areas for all of us," he noted.