The British Foreign Secretary William Hague has announced that the UK has recognised the National Coalition of the Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces as the “sole legitimate representative” of the Syrian people and that it is a “credible” alternative to the current regime.
"It is strongly in the interests of Syria, of the wider region and of the United Kingdom that we support them and deny space to extremist groups," he said to MPs.
"A credible alternative to the Assad regime is emerging that has the growing support of the Arab League, the European Union, the United States and an increasing number of other countries."
Mr Hague added that the decision was made after the leaders of the coalition assured that they are committed to uphold human rights and will work towards democracy.
The US, while accepting the group as "a legitimate representation of the aspirations of the Syrian people", has not fully recognised it.
President Obama said he was not prepared to accept the coalition as a “government-in-exile” and is seeking assurances that members of the coalition were not opposed to US interests in the Middle East.
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