Syria oppn leader seeks recognition, arms from UK

Syrian opposition chief Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib was meeting with British Foreign Secretary William Hague on Friday in London, seeking UK recognition and pressing for an end to an EU arms embargo.

As Khatib and his deputies met with Hague, fighting raged inside Syria, with troops bombarding southern districts of Damascus and its outskirts before dawn, and clashes ongoing in other strategic cities, a watchdog said.

Speaking before the meeting, Hague told BBC radio that the opposition had taken a “very big step forward” by uniting and said London would decide “in the coming days” whether to recognise it as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people. He also confirmed that Britain was re-examining the EU embargo that prevents the arming of the opposition.

Hague said Britain would like to be able to recognise the National Coalition, “but I do want to hear more about their plans, about who they are going to appoint to particular positions, about whether the Kurds will be included, and how much support they have inside Syria.”