France to host meeting in support of Syrian opposition

French Foreign Minister is making a statment to the media on Jau. 24. (Xinhua/ Zhengbin)

Representatives from 50 countries and organizations will meet next Monday in Paris to reaffirm their support for Syria's opposition, French Foreign Ministry said Thursday in a statement.

The meeting, also to be attended by leaders of Syria's opposition umbrella body Syrian National Coalition, aims to implement the commitment made during the fourth "Friends of Syria" meeting in December, the statement said.

At the upcoming meeting, France will reaffirm its full support for the Syrian National Coalition, which it has recognized as "the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people," the statement added.

France was among the first to recognize the Syria opposition coalition and has been supporting the Syrian rebels who are now in the 22nd month fighting to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad.

France also spearheaded efforts to create a Western-dominated group "Friends of Syria," which convened four times in 2012 in Tunisia, Turkey, France and Morocco respectively.

According to the latest tally by the United Nations, over 60,000 people have been killed in Syria's protracted conflicts and some 10,000 Syrian citizens have fled to neighboring countries.

The Syrian opposition has refused Assad's latest proposal for solving the ongoing crisis through an inclusive political dialogue. Its various factions, which only recently united under the Syrian National Coalition, insist that Assad must step down before any discussion of a solution.