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The group has not yet registered as a lobbyist, but it has already become a clearinghouse for American lawmakers and administration officials trying to learn more about the loose network of rebels that has gradually coalesced into the Free Syrian Army. A senior administration official who did not want to discuss intelligence matters on the record said the group’s greatest asset has been its contacts, providing some of the best intelligence available on those squaring off against Mr. Assad’s forces.
The only thing adorning the group’s tiny office in downtown Washington is a large map of Syria with Post-it tabs designating the commanders of the Free Syrian Army’s nine regional military councils, from Dara’a to Aleppo. Mr. Sayers said the group’s directors routinely contacted the commanders of those councils — and recently managed a Skype conference call with all nine at once.
“There’s not one head — that’s true,” Mr. Sayers said of the still-amorphous organization of the rebels. “It doesn’t mean you can’t work with them.”
Mr. Sakka said the group’s directors, all professionals, were originally from the cities now under siege, allowing them to establish trust with the rebels, and vice versa. One of the group’s accomplishments has been to negotiate a “proclamation of principles,” signed by each of the rebel commanders. It calls for a free, democratic Syria that would protect the rights of Syria’s myriad ethnic and sectarian groups, create rule of law, and seek peace with its neighbors.
The group has not disclosed its fund-raising efforts so far, though its license requires it to report each month to the State Department how much it raises and sends. If the Internal Revenue Service approves the group’s status as a charity, donations to help Syria’s rebels could soon be tax-deductible.
Dr. Danan, originally from Damascus, lamented that the group had yet to receive enough donations to do much more than set up the office in Washington.
While maintaining good relations with the Obama administration, the group has also been a critic of the administration’s approach, with added credibility because of its ties inside Syria. Dr. Danan, for example, said President Obama’s warning that any use of chemical weapons by Syrian forces would be “a red line” that could provoke intervention amounted to a “green light” for Mr. Assad to use as much conventional force as possible.
“Without force, tyranny will persist,” Dr. Danan said. “We will advocate with whatever means we can to mobilize the United States and other world powers to support the Syrian people, and not just with mere rhetoric.”
