Washington wants Syrian opposition coordination before government

Washington played down the French proposition of recognizing a possible Syrian Opposition government, Saying Tuesday that it wanted the opposition to coordinate with one another first. French President Francois Hollande said earlier today that France was ready to recognize a Syrian opposition government. Hollande said today that “Bashar al-Assad must leave. There is no political solution with him…In this perspective, France is asking the Syrian opposition to form a provisional government, inclusive and representative, that can become the legitimate representative of the new Syria.” However US State Department Spokesperson Victoria Nuland said today that they looked for a step preceding that of Hollande’s. She said that the US administration was looking for the opposition to coordinate with the citizens inside and outside Syria first, adding that the administration wanted to see the opposition set a clear path for democratic transition. “That’s the first order of business, for them to all agree on what a transition ought to look like. Obviously, it’s a matter for them to decide if and when they may be prepared to start naming folks,” Nuland told ABC today.