Obama formally recognises Syrian opposition as the ‘legitimate representative’ of the people...but still won’t intervene in the conflict

By Daily Mail Reporter

PUBLISHED: 20:53 EST, 11 December 2012 | UPDATED: 21:56 EST, 11 December 2012

Barack Obama has declared Syria's main opposition group the sole 'legitimate representative' of its country's people, deeming the move 'a big step' in the international diplomatic efforts to end Syrian president Bashar Assad's regime.

Mr Obama said the newly formed Syrian Opposition Council 'is now inclusive enough' to be granted the elevated status, which paves the way for greater US and international support for the organization.

'Obviously, with that recognition comes responsibilities to make sure that they organize themselves effectively,' the US president said in an interview. 'That they are representative of all the parties, that they commit themselves to a political transition that respects women's rights and minority rights.'

SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO

Recognized: President Barack Obama, seen here with ABC's Barbara Walters, has declared Syria's main opposition group the sole 'legitimate representative' of its country's people, deeming the move 'a big step.'

Assault: A Free Syrian Army fighter takes position close to a military base, near Azaz, which is now believed to have fallen to rebel hands

On the march: Free Syrian Army fighters take their positions, close to a military base, near Azaz

U.S. recognition of the opposition council is expected to be a centerpiece of an international conference on the Syria crisis in Morocco.

Secretary of state Hillary Clinton had been due to attend today's meeting in Marrakech but cancelled her trip because she was ill with a stomach virus, her spokesman, Philippe Reines, said.

Instead, deputy secretary of state William Burns will lead the US delegation.

On Monday, Ms Clinton designated Jabhat al-Nusra, or 'the Support Front' in Arabic, a foreign terrorist organization.

The move freezes any assets its members may have in US jurisdictions and bars Americans from providing the group with material support.

The designation is largely symbolic because the group is not thought to have holdings or support in the United States, but officials hope the penalties will encourage others to take similar action and discourage Syrians from joining.

That step was part of a package intended to help the leadership of the Syrian Opposition Council improve its standing and credibility as it pushes ahead with planning for a post-Assad future.

A young Free Syrian Army fighter holds an RPG as he prepares himself for the attack on the military base

A Free Syrian Army fighter holds his weapon as he prepares himself for advance, close to a military base, near Azaz, Syria, Monday, Dec. 10, 2012. The gains by rebel forces came as the European Union denounced the Syrian conflict, which activists say has killed more than 40,000 people. (AP Photo/Manu Brabo)

The administration took further action yesterday against extremists on both sides, with the Treasury Department setting separate sanctions against two senior al-Nusra leaders and two militant groups operating under the control of the Syrian government.

Two commanders of the pro-Assad shabiha force also were targeted.

'We will target the pro-Assad militias just as we will the terrorists who falsely cloak themselves in the flag of the legitimate opposition,' said David S Cohen, the department's sanctions chief.

More significant, though, is the upgraded status for the council. It is expected to be accompanied by pledges of additional humanitarian and non-lethal logistical support for the opposition. It is unlikely that the US would add military assistance to that, at least in the short-term. Providing arms remains a matter of intense internal debate inside the administration, officials said.

The US had been leading international efforts to prod the fractured Syrian opposition into coalescing around a leadership that would truly represent all of the country's factions and religions. Yet it had held back from granting recognition to the group until it demonstrated that it could organize itself in credible fashion.