US President Barack Obama met Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan as they discussed the Syrian crisis. The two leaders said they have “agreed” that President Bashar al-0Assad “needs to” step down.

US President Barack Obama met Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan as they discussed the Syrian crisis. The two leaders said they have “agreed” that President Bashar al-0Assad “needs to” step down.

Obama and Erdogan gather in Washington as efforts to bring the Syrian government and the opposition together at an international conference next month gathered pace.

"We both agree that Assad needs to go. He needs to transfer power to a transitional body," Obama said after meeting Erdogan.

"That is the only way that we are going to resolve this crisis. We are going to keep working for a Syria that is free from Assad's tyranny, that is intact and inclusive of all ethnic and religious groups and that is the source of stability not extremism, because it is in the profound interests of all our nations, especially Turkey."

For his part, Erdogan said Turkish and US views "overlap" on Syria, pointing to "full agreement" on the need to end bloodshed and establish a new government, describing key objectives as the departure of Assad, preventing Syria from becoming a base for terrorists, and preventing use of chemical weapons.