Obama planning to call for Syrian leader Assad's exit

London, Aug 10 (ANI): US President Barack Obama is reportedly planning to call on Syria's embattled leader Bashar al-Assad to step down.

The White House is planning on demanding Assad's departure and slapping the regime with new sanctions targeted at individuals in the regime and Syrian government finances, the Telegraph reports.

An administration official did not comment on the report, but stressed that 'Syria would be a better place without Assad'.

"We've previously said Syria would be a better place without Assad, that we believe his regime will be left in the past, and that Assad is on his way out," the administration official said.

"We've also previously indicated that we'd continue to increase pressures, including possible sanctions," the official added.

The Obama administration has been criticized earlier for failing to demand Assad's departure, but continued violence by the regime against protesters has brought a change of approach.

A spokesperson for the State Department recently conceded that Washington had abandoned its bid to engage Damascus.

"In the case of Syria, the message from 2009 was if you are prepared to be a reformer, if you are prepared to work with us on Middle East peace and other issues we share, we can have a new and different kind of partnership," the paper quoted Victoria Nuland.

"But that is not the path that Assad chose," Nuland added. (ANI)