Rubble litters the street in the main souk or market area of Maraat al-Numan, Syria.

The newly formed Syrian National Coalition is the "sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people," British Foreign Secretary William Hague says. Britain joins France in recognizing the organization.

Calling it the "sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people," British Foreign Secretary William Hague said today that the U.K. is officially recognizing the Syrian National Coalition, Reuters reports.

It becomes the second major Western power to do so. France took that diplomatic step last week. The U.S. has not yet done so, but has said that it is time for President Bashar Assad to step down.

As The Associated Press reminds us: "More than 36,000 people have been killed since the Syrian uprising against Assad began in March 2011 and the new coalition is pressing for the means to defend Syrian civilians."

Copyright 2013 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.

Filed in:

• World
• Home Page Top Stories
• News