Paris Recognizes New Syria Opposition Bloc, to Review Arms Stance

President Francois Hollande announced Tuesday that France recognized the newly formed Syria opposition as the sole representative of the people of the conflict-ravaged country and said it was time to review whether the rebels should be given arms.

"I announce that France recognizes the Syrian National Coalition as the sole representative of the Syrian people and thus as the future provisional government of a democratic Syria, allowing an end to the Bashar Assad regime," Hollande told a press conference.

France, a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, is the first Western power to officially recognize the broad-based opposition coalition which was established in Doha on Sunday after 20 months of conflict.

Hollande also said that the issue of supplying weapons to the opposition, hitherto opposed by France and other major powers, would have to be reviewed.

"This question will have to be necessarily reviewed not only in France but in all countries which will recognize this government," he said.

The six member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council have also recognized the new opposition body.

But Britain has said it wants to see more evidence that the grouping has strong support inside Syria before formally recognizing it as effectively a government in exile.

The United States has expressed support for the coalition and said it will work with it as it seeks to overthrow the Assad regime.

The diverse forces involved in the coalition agreed on Sunday to unify their fighting forces under a supreme military council and set up a national judicial commission for rebel-held areas in Syria.

They plan to form a provisional government once the coalition has been widely recognized internationally.