LONDON — U.K. Foreign Secretary William Hague said the British government recognized the Syrian opposition coalition and will provide communications and other support to it.
Britain sought assurances from the opposition leadership in London on Friday that they would be inclusive of all sections of Syrian society, committed to democracy and would commit themselves to human rights, Hague said.
The move came a day after the European Union said it viewed the opposition as the “legitimate representatives” of the Syrian people.
“On the basis of assurances I received and consultations with European partners yesterday, Her Majesty’s government has decided to recognize the national coalition of Syrian revolutionary and opposition forces as the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people,” Hague told lawmakers in the House of Commons in London on Tuesday.
The U.K. will invite the coalition to appoint a political representative to the U.K. and will give $1.59 million of communications support, including satellite phones to improve co-ordination within Syria, Hague said. France has also said it would welcome their representative.