Major boost for Syrian opposition

Western and Arab nations sympathetic to Syria's uprising against President Bashar al-Assad gave full political recognition to the opposition yesterday, reflecting a hardening consensus that the uprising might be nearing a tipping point.
Meeting in the Moroccan city of Marrakech as rebels battled Assad's troops on the outskirts of his Damascus power base, the "Friends of Syria" group called on Assad to step aside and end the 20-month-old uprising.
Hours earlier, President Barack Obama announced that Washington would now recognise the newly formed coalition of opposition groups as Syria's legitimate representative, joining France, Britain, Turkey and Gulf states.
At Marrakech's meeting, leaders of Syria's opposition coalition warned Assad against using chemical weapons and called on the Alawite minority to launch a campaign of civil disobedience against Assad.
"Participants acknowledge the National Coalition as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people and the umbrella organisation under which the Syrian opposition are gathering," said a draft declaration of the meeting obtained by Reuters.
The gathering brings together many Western and Arab nations opposed to Assad, whose family has ruled Syria for 42 years. But it excludes Russia, China and Iran, which have backed Assad or blocked efforts to tighten international pressure on him.
"Bashar al-Assad has lost legitimacy and should stand aside to allow a sustainable political transition," said the text.
Referring to Western intelligence reports suggesting Assad might use chemical and biological weapons, it said "any use of chemical weapons in Syria would be abhorrent and that this would draw a serious response from the international community".
Participants announced the creation of a relief fund "to support the Syrian people", calling on states and organisations to make contributions to the fund.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague, attending the talks, said: " ... in the United Kingdom we do not rule out any option to save lives. The Assad regime should not doubt our resolve, or miscalculate how we would react to any use of chemical or biological weapons against the Syrian people."
The draft text called on the UN Security Council, which has been paralysed by the major powers' disagreements over Syria, to come up with "a meaningful and robust response" to the crisis and urged countries that support Assad to "reconsider their positions".
Although the text made no explicit commitment to arm the rebels, a diplomat following the talks said participants agreed on "the legitimate need of the Syrian people to defend itself against the violent and brutal regime of Assad".
Another diplomat said Western powers did not rule out supplying arms to rebel units in the future, but would want assurances about where the weapons would flow.
France said at the talks it was not ready to supply arms. "For now we have decided not to move on this," French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told reporters in Morocco.
Western officials are due to meet commanders of a newly formed rebel military command in Turkey next week.
Fighting is moving closer to Assad's residence in Damascus, and early yesterday government forces fired artillery and rockets at southwestern suburb of the capital adjacent to the Mezzah military airport, activists said.