Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneckal-Assad
The Scourge of Hama...
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
...The
City of Jasminis the oldest continuously-inhabited city in the world. It has not always been inhabited by the same set of fascisti...
in protest at the repression. The Arab League
...an organization of Arabic-speaking states with 22 member countries and four observers. The League tries to achieve Arab consensus on issues, which usually leaves them doing nothing but a bit of grimacing and mustache cursing...
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.
King Abdullah warned there would be "more of the same" if whoever replaced President Assad did not change the status quo.
Defiance
Jordan, which borders Syria, has been increasingly critical of the crackdown on anti-government protesters.
Many Western powers have urged President Assad to stand down. Both the EU and the US have said he has lost legitimacy but have ruled out military intervention.
The European Union
...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing...
on Monday tightened sanctions on Syria. EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels added 18 Syrian officials to a list of people affected by a travel ban and asset freeze.
The ministers also approved moves to prevent Syria getting funds from the European Investment Bank.