The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on Monday recognized the newly formed Syrian National Coalition for Opposition and Revolutionary Forces as "the legitimate representative of the Syrian people," Saudi News Agency reported.

"The GCC will offer support and assistance for the Syrian coalition in order to achieve the hopes and aspirations of the Syrian people," GCC Secretary General Abdul Latif al-Zayani said in a statement carried by the agency.

"We hope this (recognition) marks a step towards a quick transition of power, to halt killing innocents, to safeguard the integrity of Syrian territory and to hold a national conference to pave the way for the formation of a state governed by law, " he added.

The GCC, founded in 1981, consists of six Gulf countries -- Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman.

The general secretary of the oil-rich bloc also called upon the Arab nations and others to recognize the Syrian opposition coalition, which was formed Sunday in Qatar.

Foreign Ministers of the GCC member states gathered Monday at the Arab League (AL) headquarters in the Egyptian capital Cairo for a ministerial meeting with officials from other Arab countries. Current developments of the Syrian issue and the Palestinian UN bid were on the top of their agenda.

A senior AL official told Xinhua earlier Monday that the GCC has recognized the new Syrian opposition coalition.

"The meeting of the ministerial committee on Syria was firstly scheduled at 3:00 p.m. (GMT 1300), but they cancelled it and then reconvened around 6:00 p.m. (GMT 1600). There is a sort of reluctance and dispute among Arab foreign ministers over the recognition of the coalition," the official said on condition of anonymity.