EU moves closer to recognizing Syria opposition

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Georges Gobet / AFP - Getty ImagesLuxembourg Foreign Affairs minister Jean Asselborn, left to right, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton and Polish Foreign Affairs minister Radoslaw Sikorski talk prior to a Foreign Affairs Council at the EU Headquarters in Brussels on Dec. 10, 2012.By ReutersEU foreign ministers, meeting the leader of the Syrian opposition on  Monday, moved toward full recognition of a new coalition ahead of a  diplomatic gathering aimed at bolstering aid for rebels fighting  President Bashar Assad.

Follow @NBCNewsWorldIn part because of concerns about the  presence of radical Islamists among the rebels, the European Union did  not offer full recognition to the Syrian National Coalition (SNC), as  Britain and France have. The bloc also has called on the grouping to  become more inclusive.

But the EU offered to "continue engaging  with and to support the Coalition" as it worked towards creating "a  credible alternative to the current regime" of President Assad.

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