Clinton in Turkey to plan post-Assad Syria

ROUGH CUT - NO REPORTER NARRATION

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Saturday as both countries plan for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's fall.

U.S. officials say Clinton's one-day stop in Istanbul will give the United States and its NATO partner Turkey a chance to compare notes on Syria following a string of dramatic swings in Assad's push to crush an armed rebellion.

Washington sees Turkey, one of Damascus' harshest critics, as the key player both in supporting Syria's opposition and in planning for what U.S. officials say is the inevitable collapse of the Assad government following some 17 months of bloodshed.

U.S. officials are particularly interested in Turkey's analysis of the political forces emerging as Syria spirals into chaos - hoping that together they can puzzle out the complex patchwork of rebel groups jockeying for position.