Arab League endorses new 'legitimate' opposition group

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim called on other opposition groups to get behind the new National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces.

The Arab League's reserved endorsement came shortly after the Gulf Co-Operation Council (GCC) recognised the new body as "the" representative of the Syrian people.

GCC secretary-general Abdullatif al-Zayani said he hoped the opposition had taken "a step towards quick political transfer of power" and an end to the bloodshed that activists say has left at least 36,000 dead.

The new coalition will include a military council intended to ease the flow of military support from foreign powers to help the outgunned rebels topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Opposition figure George Sabra told the unity conference in Doha last week: "We don't need food. We don't need money. We need weapons."

The West has previously been concerned about giving arms to the disparate militant groups fearing they could fall to al-Qaida.

French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said the coalition did not yet merit international recognition as a provisional government but said it's "on the right track."

• The Syrian military continued to pound Ras al-Ayn near the Turkish border today. An estimated 10,000 Syrians have fled into Turkey since Friday to escape the bombing.