FILE - In this Oct. 6, 2002 file photo, Syrian President Bashar Assad, left, with Syrian Defense Minister Mustafa Tlass, right, father of Brig. Gen. Manaf Tlass visit the tomb of the unknown soldier, in Damascus, on the occasion of the 29th anniversary of their Liberation War. The most prominent defector from the Syrian regime has offered to help unite the country's fractured opposition. Brig. Gen. Manaf Tlass told the Saudi daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat in an interview appearing Thursday that he had tried to convince President Bashar Assad not to use the security option when dealing with the protesters. (AP Photo/Sana, File)