US steps up support for Syrian opposition

Washington, May 9 (IANS) The US is taking additional measures to support moderate Syrian opposition, State Secretary John Kerry told a visiting opposition leader Thursday.

The Obama administration is working with Congress to provide more than 27 million dollars in new non-lethal assistance for the Syrian opposition and stepping up deliveries of such aid to Free Syrian Army, Xinhua quoted a statement summarising the meeting between Kerry and Ahmed Jarba, president of Syrian Opposition Coalition.

The US support also includes granting the status of foreign mission to the coalition's representative offices in the US and fresh sanctions on Syrian government and its supporters, it added.

Before meeting Jarba, Kerry told reporters that Syrian Opposition Coalition is an "inclusive and moderate" institution committed to the protection of all people in Syria.

"We've had difficult moments in this journey, but we are committed to do our part to support the moderate opposition in its efforts to provide a legitimate voice to the aspirations and hopes of the Syrian people," Kerry said.

Earlier Thursday, the US Treasury Department slapped sanctions on six Syrian officials, two refineries, and a Russian bank, in a move to increase pressure on Damascus and its supporters.