The United States denied Monday that it is attempting to undermine Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government but acknowledged it supported civil society groups dedicated to democratic reforms and freedom of expression, dpa reported.
"We're working with a variety of civil society actors in Syria with the goal of strengthening freedom of expression and the kinds of institutions that we believe are going to be vital to a possible democratic future in Syria," State Department spokesman Mark Toner said.
"We are not working to undermine that government," he added.
Toner's comments came after an article in the Washington Post reported Monday that the US has secretly funded Syrian opposition groups and an anti-government satellite television. The Post article was based on classified State Department cables published by the website WikiLeaks.
Toner would not comment on the content of classified material, as has been the State Department's position since WikiLeaks began publishing the cables in November.
The Post reported that the recipient of the funds included London- based satellite channel Barada TV, which has close ties to the Movement for Justice and Development, a group of Syrian dissidents based in Europe.
The State Department began the funding programme in 2006 and has given up to 6 million dollars since to aid the Barada TV and for the opposition groups.
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