The leaders of the United States, France, Germany and Britain have demanded that President Assad of Syria leave office following the violent suppression of street protests against his leadership. It is the first explicit call from the US and its allies for the Syrian leadership to step down. President Obama said, time has come for President Bashar al-Assad to step down. In a joint statement, the leaders of Britain, France and Germany said, President Assad should leave power in the greater interests of Syria and the unity of the people. Meanwhile, A Syrian Government spokesman accused the Western Governments of increasing tension in the country. He said, it is strange that instead of offering Damascus a helping hand to implement its programme of reforms, the West and President Obama are stoking more violence in Syria. Syria's ambassador to the United Nations, Bashar Jaffery has said, Syrian security forces have stopped all operations. He said, the United States, by imposing sanctions and calling on President Assad to step down, is waging a humanitarian war against Syria. He said, this will further aggravate violence and give wrong message to the armed groups.