Some good news has finally arrived for Syrian opposition over the past week, with two high profile defections from the Assad's regime. Manaf Tlas, a general in the Republican Guard and a scion of a prominent Sunni family, has fled to Paris. Shortly after, Syria's Ambassador to Iraq Nawas al-Fares, announced he was joining the opposition and called on Syrian army to turn its guns against the "criminals" in the government.
But other than that, things remain pretty gloomy. Syria's main opposition alliance, the Syrian National Council, is still plagued by internal divisions, and is struggling to win the confidence of other opposition groups. Arab League-backed opposition conference in Cairo earlier this month failed to close opposition ranks (see Reuters report).
Last year, the US recognized the SNC as the "legitimate representative of Syrians seeking a peaceful democratic transition", but Washington is wary of the group's ability to manage an interim government in case of Assad's downfall.
How much support does SNC have in Syria, and can it really replace Assad?
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