NEW : `` When foreign statesmen or Syrians thought of a Sunni who could possibly take power , Manaf had to be at the top of the list or very close to the top , '' he said . Activist says Brig . Gen. Manaf Tlas does n't plan to join the opposition at present . Tlas was perhaps the most senior Sunni in Bashar al-Assad 's regime , scholar says . Comment: The Tlas family knows `` how the place is wired , '' a Syria expert says .
NEW : Activist says Brig . Gen. Manaf Tlas does n't plan to join the opposition at present . Tlas was perhaps the most senior Sunni in Bashar al-Assad 's regime , scholar says . Comment: The Tlas family knows `` how the place is wired , '' a Syria expert says .