( CNN ) -- Saudi Arabia 's King Abdullah condemned the crackdown on anti-government protesters in Syria on Sunday , saying there is `` no justification for the bloodshed . '' In a written statement released via Saudi state television Sunday night , Abdullah said the kingdom had recalled its ambassador from Damascus for consultations . `` What is happening there is not accepted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , '' the king said . `` There is no justification for the bloodshed in Syria , and what is happening has nothing to do with religion or ethics . The Syrian leadership could activate comprehensive reforms quickly . '' Demonstrations against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad began in March , and protesters have defied increasingly harsh efforts to put down the movement . Government troops and police launched a fresh crackdown last week , prompting condemnation from a variety of countries and organizations , including the Arab League , the United Nations and the Roman Catholic Church . Abdullah 's statement puts the leader of one of the leading powers in the region behind calls for an end to the violence . In his remarks Sunday night , he said Syria 's future `` lies between two choices -- either wisdom or chaos . '' Syria is a longtime ally of Iran , Saudi Arabia 's leading rival in the Persian Gulf region . Ties between Riyadh and Damascus also were strained by a January political crisis in Syria 's former client state of Lebanon , during which Saudi Arabia gave up on efforts at mediation . And while Abdullah has condemned the Syrian crackdown , Saudi Arabia sent troops to Bahrain in March to help its neighboring Gulf monarchy suppress anti-government protesters there . Bahrain 's Sunni Muslim rulers accused Shiite-led Iran of fueling demonstrations among the island kingdom 's Shiite majority , an accusation the protesters denied .
The Syrian crackdown is ` ` not justified '' by Riyadh , King Abdullah said . Saudi Arabia has recalled its ambassador and called for reform in Syria .