New Syrian coalition seeks European recognition

The leader of Syria’s new opposition coalition has urged European states to recognise it as the legitimate government, enabling it to buy the weapons it needs to overthrow president Bashar al-Assad.

Britain and France appeared to set further conditions, notably that it first rally support inside the country, before they grant full recognition to the Syrian National Coalition. And, like the US, Europeans are still reluctant to arm rebel forces which include anti-Western Islamist militants.

Western caution, and an Arab League endorsement that stopped short of full recognition, indicate that the coalition forged with such difficulty in Qatar three days ago may yet find it hard to win whole-hearted support, even from its allies.

Speaking by telephone as Arab and European ministers met to discuss Syria at the Arab League in Cairo, Mouaz Alkhatib, the Damascus preacher elected unopposed on Sunday to lead the new group, asked for diplomatic backing.

“I request European states to grant political recognition to the coalition as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people and to give it financial support,” he said.

“When we get political recognition, this will allow the coalition to act as a government and hence acquire weapons and this will solve our problems.”

France’s defence minister and Britain’s foreign minister said forming the new group under Alkhatib was an important milestone but not sufficient for full recognition as a government-in-waiting.

So far, concerted action on Syria has been dashed by divisions within the opposition, as well as by big power rivalries and a regional divide between Sunni Muslim foes of Assad and his Shi’ite allies in Iran and Lebanon.

Russia and China, which have given Assad diplomatic support since the uprising erupted in March last year, have shown no sign of warming towards his Western- and Arab-backed opponents.

Assad, whose family have ruled for 42 years, has vowed to fight to the death in a conflict that has already killed an estimated 38,000 people.

Some 20 months of conflict have created a vast humanitarian crisis, with more than 408,000 Syrians fleeing the country and up to 4m expected to need aid by early next year, according to the UN.