Al Maliki to Obama: 'No one has the right to tell Assad that 'he has to go!'

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  First of all, the Prime Minister and I discussed Syria ...  There’s no disagreement there.
I have expressed my outrage... 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 Syria I think is deeply eroded.... 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 these decisions are being made based on what Prime Minister Maliki believes is best for Iraq, not based on considerations of what Iran would like to see....
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PRIME MINISTER AL-MALIKI:  (As interpreted, in progress.) -- difficult in Syria,... we honor the aspirations of the Syrian people.  But I cannot have -- I do not 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 that is bordering on Syria, and I am concerned about the interest of Iraq and the interest of the security of the region.  And I wish that what is required by the Syrian people would be achieved without affecting the security of Iraq.  And I know the two countries are related to each other, and we must be very prudent in dealing with this matter.
We were with the initiative by the Arab League.  But, frankly speaking, because we suffered from the blockade and the military interventions, we do not encourage a blockade because it exhausts the people and the government..."