In a written statement issued on 18 August, Obama said explicitly for the first time that Assad should resign: "The future of Syria must be determined by its people, but President Bashar al-Assad is standing in their way ...
在8月18日发表的一份声明中，奥巴马第一次明确表示阿萨德应该辞职：“叙利亚的未来必须由其人民决定，但总统巴沙尔·阿萨德在阻挡他们的道路。