WASHINGTON (AP) - The Obama administration is getting ready to tighten its ties to Syria's main opposition group, a step in the intensifying diplomacy that aims to craft an end to the embattled regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Officials say the administration is on track to recognize the new Syrian opposition council as the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people at an international conference this week in Morocco. The move will pave the way for greater U.S. support for those seeking to oust Assad, and follows Monday's blacklisting of a militant Syrian rebel group with links to al-Qaida.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton had been due to attend Wednesday's meeting but canceled her trip due to illness. Her deputy, William Burns, will lead the U.S. delegation instead.
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