U.S. Not Ready to Term Opposition 'Syria Government'

President Barack Obama said Wednesday the United States is encouraged by Syria's new opposition coalition but is not ready to crown it the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people.

"We're not yet prepared to recognize them as some sort of government in exile, but we do think that it is a broad-based representative group," Obama told reporters at the first news conference since his re-election.

But he voiced concerns that the U.S. had seen "extremist elements insinuate themselves into the opposition" and stressed the need to be careful amid a growing clamor for Washington to arm the rebels.

"One of the things we have to be on guard about, particularly when we start talking about arming opposition figures, is that we're not indirectly putting arms in the hands of folks who would do Americans harm or do Israelis harm or otherwise engage in actions that are detrimental to our national security."

Obama told reporters gathered at the White House that the U.S. administration was "constantly probing and working on that issue."

"The more engaged we are, the more we'll be in a position to make sure that we are encouraging the most moderate, thoughtful elements of the opposition that are committed to inclusion, observance of human rights and working cooperatively with us over the long-term."

France on Tuesday became the first country to recognize the new Syrian National Coalition as the sole representative of the Syrian people, and urged nations to review their policies on whether to arm the rebels.

Since the revolution to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad erupted in March 2011, the United States has steadfastly refused to arm the rebels, though it has donated almost $200 million in humanitarian and non-lethal assistance.

"We are constantly consulting with the opposition on how they can get organized so that they're not splintered and divided in the face of the onslaught from the Assad regime," Obama said.

The United States was also in close contact with Syria's neighbors, including Turkey, Jordan and Iraq, which have taken in a flood of refugees fleeing the bitter fighting in which an estimated 37,000 people have been died.

These countries, as well as Israel, have "grave concerns as we do about, for example, movements of chemical weapons that might occur in such a chaotic atmosphere. And that could have an impact not just within Syria, but on the region as a whole," Obama added.