France recognizes Syria's newly formed opposition coalition as representative of the Syrian people, French President Francois Hollande announced at his first major press conference on Tuesday.

"I announce ... that France recognizes the Syrian National coalition as the sole representative of the Syrian people and therefore as the future democratic government of Syria," Hollande said.

After a five-day meeting held in Qatar, Syrian opposition created a new coalition composed mainly of opposition groups outside Syria, but will also include activists inside the country as well as rebel commanders.

According to an agreement reached by the exiled opposition parties, once the new coalition wins international recognition, it will form an interim government in exile and call for a national conference if the Syrian current administration is ousted.

The opposition bloc also agreed to establish a new supreme military council to take overall command of rebel groups.

Asked about Paris participation in eventual military operation to stop bloody conflicts in Syria, Hollande stressed that "it will be an intervention if the (UN) Security Council will decide it."

As to arming rebel forces, the president said "France did not support it (weapons delivery) as long as it wasn't clear where these weapons went."

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius on late Sunday also hailed the formation of the coalition as "a major step in the essential process of the Syrian opposition's unification."

"France will work with its partners to secure international recognition of this new entity as the representative of the aspirations of the Syrian people," Fabius said. 

The United States and the Arab League also recognized the opposition bloc on Monday.

Germany hoped the coalition will provide a "credible" alternative to Assad's regime.

Russia gave a much cooler response with deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov saying "Unification of the Syrian opposition may be useful if the opposition starts a political dialogue with the government, as it is envisaged by the Geneva agreement."

However, the coalition drew immediate condemnation from the Syrian government.

Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi described such a move as a "new form of foreign interference that aims to market an old product ... in a new form."

"If there is anyone who believes that the demonstrations and meetings that convene at hotels can make a state or a political project and overthrow the government, he is deluding himself and his thinking is nonsense and a kind of political folly," he added.

"Dialogue is the sole option in Syria that can succeed," he stressed.

Meanwhile, Luai Hussain, head of the opposition Building Syria State party, said his party rejects everything that comes out of the overseas-based opposition.

"We reject the formation of any transitional government abroad and any other decision... and we regard such act as a direct and real aggression on Syrians' right to choose their leadership and determine their destines."

He said his party will do its utmost by mobilizing the Syrian public opinion to hobble efforts to form a government abroad.

"The formation of any interim government abroad would be conducive to increasing division in the Syrian society, and thus would widen the platform of a civil war," he added.

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