President Barack Obama and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke by telephone yesterday “to co-ordinate efforts to accelerate a political transition in Syria”, the White House said.

This “would include the departure of (Syrian leader) Bashar al-Assad and be responsive to the legitimate demands of the Syrian people”, the statement said. Obama and Erdogan shared their concerns over the Syrian regime’s crackdown on opposition “and the deteriorating humanitarian conditions throughout Syria as a result of the regime’s atrocities”.

Both promised to co-ordinate efforts to help the growing numbers of Syrians displaced by the violence within Syria or forced to flee over the border to take refuge in Turkey or other nations in the region.

The statement said US and Turkish teams “would remain in close contact on ways that Turkey and the US can work together to promote a democratic transition in Syria”.