Post-Assad era being planned, says senior Syrian opposition figure

SNC member says Syria’s future leadership may include members of state institutions and Baath party

3 August 2012, 6:44 pm

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Manaf Tlas in the al-Arabiya video. (screenshot Al-Arabiya, via YouTube)

PARIS (AP) — A senior member of the Syrian National Council says the opposition group is already organizing an alternative to the regime of President Bashar Assad that could include those in state institutions or even the ruling Baath Party to fill a power void in a new era.

Bassma Kodmani, the SNC’s Paris-based spokeswoman, doesn’t exclude a role for Manaf Tlas, the Syrian general with longstanding ties to Assad who defected last month.

Kodmani said in an interview Friday that “the transition government is not just the Syrian National Council.”

She said, “We’re looking toward superseding that phase.”

As for Tlas — dismissed by numerous opposition figures as too close to Assad — Kodmani said he “definitely should be part of a big plan of transition.”