US President Obama calls German Chancellor Merkel on Syria: White House

WASHINGTON - Agence France-Presse

U.S. President Barack Obama on Aug. 29 spoke with German Chancellor Angela Merkel about the situation in Syria, the White House said, as the West weighs military action against Damascus.

"The president today conducted a phone call with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. This is part of the series of communications that the president has initiated around the situation in Syria," spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters.

Earnest did not provide details about the discussions. But he highlighted that Obama - who said Aug. 28 that US actions would be designed to send a "shot across the bow" over Syria's alleged chemical weapons use - had spoken with many US allies in Europe and the Middle East.

The West suspects Syrian troops are to blame for an alleged chemical weapons attack in the Damascus suburbs on August 21 that left hundreds dead.

Since that time, Obama has spoken twice with British Prime Minister David Cameron. He has also conferred with French President Francois Hollande, as well as the prime ministers of Australia and Canada.