ZAGREB: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Wednesday that Washington wanted to help the Syrian opposition to unite against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad as the escalating conflict nears its 20th month.

“We are working very hard with many different elements of opposition inside and outside Syria,” Clinton told reporters during a visit to Croatia, saying the United States was interested in “helping the opposition to unite strongly and resist the Assad regime”.

The opposition umbrella group the Syrian National Council (SNC) “can no be longer be viewed as the visible leader of the opposition,” Clinton said.

“They can be part of the opposition, but the oppositon must include people from inside Syria and others,” she said.