WORLD -- January 19, 2012 at 12:26 PM EDT

Jordan's King Abdullah: 'Loss of Life' Will Continue in Syria

By: Larisa Epatko


King Abdullah II of Jordan told Margaret Warner Thursday that he expects the "loss of life" will continue in Syria and that the key players "don't really know what to do" about the conflict in the Middle Eastern country.

When asked whether he thought Arab troops should be sent into Syria to stop the killing, Abdullah said he would go with whatever the Arab League decides, once it reaches a consensus.

"I'm just very wary that once you start military operations in any country, it's very difficult to predict what the outcome is," he said. "We're hoping that dialogue and continuing pressure on Syria will have an effect.

"I think the disturbances and the loss of life will continue, unfortunately," Abdullah said. "We've been here in Washington for a few days, talking to our colleagues here, and I've been in interaction with my colleagues around the world in the Middle East, and nobody has an answer for Syria. That's the most disturbing thing. We don't really know what to do.

"It's different than Iraq. It's different than Libya. There are so many different sub-societies inside of Syria that once things are taken to a next level, so to speak, as you're alluding to, it could be anybody's guess what's going to happen. And I think that's what concerns everybody."

Watch an excerpt above and their full interview on Thursday's NewsHour. View all of our World coverage and follow us on Twitter.

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