US, French, German leaders pressure Syria's Assad

WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy agreed on Friday to consider further steps to pressure Syrian President Bashar Assad over his harsh crackdown on protests, the White House said.Obama held separate phone calls with the European leaders, and they all condemned the Syrian government's "indiscriminate violence against the Syrian people," the White House said.They also agreed to "consider additional steps to pressure the Assad regime and support the Syrian people," but the White House statement did not elaborate on any measures under consideration.