The President and German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke by phone today to discuss several foreign policy issues of mutual concern, including Iran and Syria.  Both leaders expressed the hope that Iran would take advantage of the upcoming P5+1 talks to address the international community’s concerns about the Iranian nuclear program.  They also reiterated their common resolve to increase the pressure on the Iranian regime through sanctions and other measures if it remained unresponsive.  On Syria, the President and Chancellor shared the concern that the Assad government was not complying with the terms of the agreement negotiated by Kofi Annan and continued to engage in unacceptable brutality against its own people.  They agreed that this underscored the need for the UN Security Council to come together to take more resolute action.  The President told the Chancellor that he looked forward to hosting her at Camp David for the G-8 Summit next month and to continuing their regular consultations on these and other important issues.