A new coalition of Syrian dissidents opposed to President Bashar al-Assad will have an ambassador in France, the French president said Saturday.
The announcement is a boost for the coalition, which seeks to unite the opposition against the Syrian government under a single vision.
The French decision to give the coalition an ambassador follows its pledge, and one by the United States, to support the coalition.
The Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council have also endorsed the coalition.
French President Francois Hollande met with the newly elected leader of the coalition, Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib, in Paris on Saturday.
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“France reiterated how it was attached to finding a solution quickly and that solution must first pass through the affirmation of a political transition,” Hollande said.
“This is why we took — I took — the decision to recognize the coalition as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people.”
The two leaders talked about ways in which the coalition could gain both legitimacy and credibility, Hollande said.
The ambassadorship is a stamp of approval for the coalition’s efforts to become the centralized conduit for aid, and for an integrated military command.
The new coalition agreed that it wants al-Assad gone and that no one would talk with his government. Spokesman Mohammed Dugham said the only option now is a totally new government.
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