Syria: US presses for opposition dialogue with Assad - Ian Black

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jun/30/syria-plan-reform-bashar-al-assad

The US is pushing the Syrian opposition to maintain dialogue with Bashar al-Assad's regime as details emerge of a controversial "roadmap" for reforms that would leave him in power for now despite demands for his overthrow during the country's bloody three-month uprising.
Syrian opposition sources say US state department officials have been discreetly encouraging discussion of the unpublished draft document, which circulated at an unprecedented opposition conference held on Monday in Damascus. But Washington denies backing it.

The fact of the matter is that, at this point, the opposition cannot unseat Assad as it is not powerful enough or widespread enough. It doesn't have the firepower to overwhelm the regime's resources and this movement is not in character with a terrorist campaign against the regime. Leaving Assad in power is probably, unfortunately, the most viable option at this point to attain peace and amnesty for those who rose up. Not a total victory, but a victory nonetheless, and one that comes with the knowledge that the right set of circumstances could topple him. He and they now know that he is not invincible. That is worth something.