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Britain, France, and Germany have hailed the creation of a new Syrian opposition coalition as a major step forward, though only France went as far as recognising the new body as Syria's legitimate authority.
At an Arab League meeting in Cairo, the coalition's new leader, Moaz al-Khatib, called on the EU to recognise the coalition and give it financial support. This would allow Syria's opposition to act as a unified government and, most crucially, to acquire arms, he said.
EU foreign ministers have warmly embraced the new US-backed group announced in Doha on Sunday. But both the EU and the Arab League have yet to give it formal recognition. Speaking in Cairo, the foreign secretary William Hague said the new body had to prove its democratic credentials and show it enjoyed support from all Syrians, including from the country's ethnic and religious minorities.
"This coalition gives the opportunity for a united, inclusive and credible political alternative to the Assad regime." he said. "We urge them to set out a detailed platform for a political transition to a democratic Syria, and to demonstrate that they are acting on behalf of all Syria's communities."
France, however, went a step further, with Francois Hollande, declaring: "I announce today that France recognises the Syrian National Council as the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people and as future government of a democratic Syria allowing to bring an end to Bashar al-Assad's regime."
The French president added that Paris would look at the question of arming the Syrian National Council once it had created a transitional government.
A Syria donors' conference will be held in London on Friday. The meeting will discuss how to step up non-lethal aid to the new rebel group headed by Khatib, the National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces. Hague today stated that the "more progress" the opposition makes towards its goals, the "greater practical support" it can expect from the UK.
But enhanced diplomatic support falls well short of what the rebels have long been demanding: significant western military assistance to change the dynamics on the ground in Syria. The 20-month uprising to overthrow president Bashar al-Assad has now reached a bloody stalemate, with the regime waging a tenacious and brutal counter-offensive against the lightly armed Free Syrian Army.
On Tuesday the Syrian Arab Red Crescent said 2.5 million people had been displaced inside Syria, as civilians sought to escape cities and villages under attack. The figure is twice as high as previous estimates. The UN refugee agency says that the real number of internal refugees could be even higher.
Violence continued on Tuesday, with reports that government warplanes had attacked the FSA-controlled town of Ras al Ain near the Turkish border for a second day. Smoke was seen rising from the town. Syrian jets also hit the town of Albu Kamal on the frontier with Iraq. Heavy shelling was reported in the southern Damascus suburbs of Tadamon and Yarmouk.
Tension also remained high on the Golan Heights, where Israeli gunners have retaliated against stray Syrian mortar fire landing on the occupied plateau over the past week. The Israeli military fired back on Monday, hitting a Syrian artillery battery and injuring at least two Syrian soldiers.
Senior Israeli government officials believe the mortars are "accidental" but say this view will be reassessed if there is further crossborder fire. "I don't think there's a scenario of Assad intentionally provoking Israel, it looks quite far-fetched right now – but as a last resort for Assad in the future, it's a possibility and the Israelis are discussing it and preparing for such a scenario," said Amos Harel, defence correspondent for Haaretz.
Six Sunni Gulf Arab states have recognised the new opposition coalition as Syria's legitimate representative. But Algeria, Iraq and Lebanon - the last two with significant Shiite populations - have refused to follow suit. On Tuesday Hague signalled that the UK had virtually abandoned attempts to find a diplomatic solution to Syria, in the face of unwavering support for Assad from Russia and China.
Hague said there was little point in trying to reach consensus in the UN security council, following repeated vetoes by Russia and China. The international envoy Lakhdar Brahimi has suggested another attempt. Hague said: "There is no indication that the outcome now would be different. In the absence of such progress, we will increase our support to Syrian opposition groups."
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