U.S. President Barack Obama has called for the resignation of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad because of his deadly crackdown on anti-government protesters.

In a written statement issued a short time ago , Mr. Obama said he strongly condemns what he called the “disgraceful attacks on Syrian civilians” by the Assad government.

He said it is time for Mr. Assad to step aside.

Previously, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and other U.S. officials have said that Mr. Assad had “lost the legitimacy to lead,” but stopped short of calling for his resignation.