Syria opposition bids for recognition

The leader of Syria's newly united opposition headed to Arab League headquarters in Cairo to push for diplomatic recognition on Monday, buoyed by the hard-won unity deal among the disparate factions.

Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib, 52, a moderate Muslim cleric who quit Syria three months ago, was to be accompanied on his visit by Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani, whose government hosted the marathon four-day talks that culminated in Sunday's agreement.

The deal to form a new broad-based opposition structure to take the 20-month uprising forward drew a warm welcome from Western governments that had expressed mounting frustration with the leadership divisions as they are pushing to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad's government.

China reiterated its stance toward the Syrian conflict, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said on Monday.

In response to a question regarding the opposition coalition, Hong said China believes the relevant parties in Syria should implement former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan's six-point peace plan.

He said they should also implement relevant Security Council resolutions and the communique of the Geneva foreign ministers' meeting of the Action Group for Syria in order to end the gunfire and violence. China hopes all parties in Syria support mediation efforts by the UN's special envoy for the conflict Lakhdar Brahimi and begin a political transition at an early date, the spokesman said.

The new National Coalition wants to build on that support to win the sort of diplomatic recognition that the Libyan opposition won in its successful uprising against Muammar Gadhafi last year.

The Arab League suspended Assad's government as part of a raft of sanctions it imposed last year and Syria's seat in the 22-member bloc is currently vacant.

Qatar, which along with neighboring Saudi Arabia has been a leading champion of the Syrian opposition, has already said it is ready to recognize a provisional government that the National Coalition plans to form.

Meanwhile, a government-run newspaper dismissed the latest unity agreement between the exiled opposition groups as "won't change a thing of the opposition's fragmented nature and its lack of public support".

"They will remain mere skeletons and groups that move under the West's orders against their country's interests and stability," the Tishreen Daily said in an editorial on Monday.

The new coalition will be mainly composed of opposition groups outside Syria and also activists from inside the country as well as rebels' commanders, reports said.

AFP-Xinhua