Prince Turki, the former chief of intelligence services, said Assad had made his position clear by failing to live up to commitments made under an Arab League initiative to stop the bloodshed and start political dialogue.
"Inevitably, I think, the lack of response of Mr. Assad to all the efforts made to end the fighting in Syria means that he's taken the view of not accepting these matters," he told a Washington, D.C., audience.
"In that context, there will be growing popular opposition to him, and killing every day. I think it's inevitable that he will have to step down in one form or another."
The prince said the Arab League had given Assad a "last chance" to comply with its proposal to resolve the situation and would now be expected to take further steps — citing Libya as a precedent.
He said that Saudi Arabia and its partners in the Gulf first brought Libya to the Arab League in March "and pushed the Arab League to take a decision to move the issue to the United Nations Security Council and bring about the resolution that allowed for intervention in Libya." "Whether the Arab League will go that route (on Syria), I really can't say, but it is an option and it has been practiced by the Arab League," he said.
