Jordan king tells Assad to quit

Pressure increased on Syrian president Bashar al-Assad today as the king of Jordan called for him to resign and Europe agreed fresh sanctions.

"If Bashar has the interest of his country, he would step down," King Abdullah told the BBC only two days after the Arab League suspended Syria for its ongoing crackdown on anti-government protesters.

The king added that Assad should begin a new era of political dialogue before leaving office. "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.

The intervention by the ruler of an influential neighbour of Syria echoes calls by other countries, including Britain, and came as EU foreign ministers imposed travel restrictions on 18 more Syrians, alongside asset freezes and other measures.

Foreign Office minister Alistair Burt said the sanctions, together with the "change in temperature" from the Arab League on Saturday, would also increase pressure on Russia and China to support United Nations action against Syria.

He also accused the Syrian government of "complicity" in attacks on foreign embassies at the weekend.

The regime's crackdown against an eight-month uprising has killed an estimated 3,500 since March. Welcoming the new sanctions, Foreign Secretary William Hague said: "President Assad has ignored countless calls by the international community to put an end to the horrific violence.

As long as the violence continues, we will continue to press the Syrian regime to bring an end to this killing."

Protesters supporting Assad stormed the Saudi and Qatar embassies and attacked Turkish and French diplomatic posts across the country at the weekend, prompting Saudi Arabia and Turkey to withdraw non-essential diplomats and their families.

Turkey also warned its citizens not to travel to Syria as activists reported at least 14 more people had been killed in shootings by security forces.

A 14-year-old boy was said to have been shot dead in the town of Diz Az-Zour after he refused to join a pro-government march. Earlier, Russia condemned the Arab League's decision to suspend Syria and accused Western countries of inciting opposition to Assad's rule.

Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov attacked the suspension as "incorrect" and also reiterated Russia's opposition to new penalties on Iran over its nuclear programme.