Syrian opposition wins backing of 100 countries in fight to oust Assad

Following international pressure to create a more organised body to channel any aid extended by foreign countries, the opposition formed the Syrian National Coalition in Doha, Qatar, in November. The coalition was widely applauded yesterday at a conference in Morocco.

The world’s recognition of the Libyan opposition gave it a huge boost in the battle against Muammar Gaddafi last year, though that was later backed by Western airstrikes.

However, military intervention does not appear to be on the cards for Syria, where the government has the backing of Russia, China and Iran.

French foreign minister Laurent Fabius called the Friends of the Syrian People conference meeting in Marrakech, Morocco, “extraordinary progress”.

He noted that the European Union is now renewing its weapons embargo on Syria every three months, rather than annually, to be more flexible as the situation on the ground changes.

He said: “We want to have the ability to continue or to change our attitude on this point. The fact that the coalition, which is asking for the right to defend itself, is now being recognised by a hundred countries – yesterday the US and first France – I think this is a very important point.”

The conference’s final statement said Mr Assad, Syria’s president, has lost all legitimacy but stopped short of calling for him to step down, although this was something attending ministers did say individually.