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Must be very prudent in dealing with this matter. we were with the initiative by the arab league -- frankly speaking because we sovred from the blockade, we do not encourage blockade because it exhausts the people and the government. but we stood with the arab league. and we were very frank and we agreed on an initiative to perhaps -- it will be the last-minute initiative we'll see in the situation and will achieve the required change in syria without any violent operations that could affect the area in general. i believe that all the parties realize the dangers of a sectarian war in iraq and ...

I expressed to prime minister maliki my recognition that given syria's on iraq's borders, iraq's in a tough neighborhood, that we will consult closely with them as we move forward. but we believe that international pressure, the approach we've taken along with partners around the world to impose tough sanctions and to call on assad to step down, a position that is increasingly mirrored by the arab league states, is the right position to take. even if there are tactical disagreements between iraq and the united states at this point in how to deal with syria, i have absolutely no doubt that thes...

And the citizenship -- we have achieved that ourselves and if we can compare iraq today with the past, we'll find there is a great difference in democracy and elections and freedoms. therefore, we are the aspirations of the syrian people. but i don't have the right to ask a president to abdicate. we must play this role and we cannot give ourselves this right. iraq is a country bordering on syria. i'm concerned about the interest of iraq and the interest of the security of the region. i wish that what is required by the syrian people would be achieved without having -- without affecting the sec...

Syria. why haven't you demanded that assad step down given the slaughter of his people? >> first of all, the prime minister and i discussed syria, and we share the view that when the syrian people are being killed or are unable to express themselves, that's a problem. there's no disagreement there. i have expressed my outrage in how the syrian regime has been operating. i do believe that president assad missed an opportunity to reform his government, chose the path of repression and has continued to engage in repressive tactics so that his credibility, his capacity to regain legitimacy inside ...

It will expand and be difficult to control it. we will try to region a solution. i discussed the matter with his excellency, the president, president obama, and the secretary general of the arab league. there is an agreement even from the syrian opposition who are leading the opposition in syria to search for a solution if we can reach a solution, will avoid all the evils and the dangers. and if we don't, there must be another way to reach a solution that will calm the situation in syria and in the area in general. [ speaking in foreign language ] >> translator: establish new relationships to ...