Clinton Says SNC Shows Alternative to Assad Regime

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the Syrian National Council will demonstrate at international talks in Tunis on Friday that there is an alternative to President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

"We believe that the Syrian National Council, which will be there sitting at the table, will show that there is an alternative to the Assad regime, one that respects the rights of all Syrians," she told reporters in London on Thursday.

The SNC is one of several Syrian opposition groups invited to the so-called "Friends of Syria" meeting, which aims to boost international action to end the country's increasingly bloody crisis.

"The consensus opinion by the Arab League and all the others who are working and planning this conference is that the SNC is a credible representative and therefore they will be present," Clinton said.

"We are seeing increasing defections, we are seeing a lot of pressure on the inner regime," she said after an international meeting on Somalia.

"There is growing evidence that some of the officials in the Syrian government are beginning to hedge their bets, moving assets, moving family members, looking for a possible exit strategy."

A U.S. official said earlier that Arab and Western powers would use the Tunis meeting to challenge the Syrian regime to accept a proposal to allow in humanitarian aid, as the city of Homs was bombarded for a 20th straight day.

"We look forward to concrete progress on three fronts: providing humanitarian relief, increasing pressure on the regime, and preparing for a democratic transition," Clinton said.

"To that end, we hope to see new pledges of emergency assistance for Syrians caught in Assad's stranglehold, and international coordination and diplomatic pressure on Damascus to allow it to get to those who need it most."

SNC representatives and other opposition groups at Friday's meeting are expected to come under pressure to work for the creation of a united group to represent opponents of the regime.

At least 101 people were killed in violence across Syria on Thursday, according to the Local Coordination Committees, the main activist group spurring protests on the ground.

More than 7,600 people have been killed in the 11 months since Assad's regime launched a bloody crackdown on protesters in March, most of them civilians, according to the Observatory.