Syria opposition figure: post-Assad being planned

This image made from amateur video released by the Ugarit News and accessed Tuesday, July 31, 2012, purports to show black smoke rising from buildings in Aleppo, Syria. (AP/Ugarit News)

June 3, 2012: In a much-anticipated speech, embattled Syrian president Bashar al-Assad blames foreign powers and "terrorists" for the violence that has wracked the country for the last 15 months. (AP) (AP2012)

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 Tlass, 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 Tlass -- dismissed by numerous opposition figures as too close to Assad -- Kodmani said he "definitely should be part of a big plan of transition."