President Barack Obama reached out to the leaders of Britain and Saudi Arabia on Saturday to build consensus for an end to the violent crackdown by Syria's government. The White House said Obama spoke separately to British Prime Minister David Cameron and Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah, both of whom agreed with Obama that Syrian President Bashar Assad's government must end its attacks on civilians. While the U.S. has repeatedly condemned the violence in Syria and said Assad has lost legitimacy, the Obama administration has stopped short of explicitly calling for him to leave power. A U.S. official told The Associated Press Friday that the demand for Assad to step down would come "sooner rather than later." Some of the administration's hesitation reflects concern about adopting a more aggressive tone without adequate support from European allies and Arab partners.