Qatar, which has led efforts to isolate Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, told the ministers on Saturday it was time to recognize the exiled Syrian National Council as the nation's legitimate representative.

"We must send a message to the Syrian regime that the world's patience and our patience has run out, as has the time for silence about its practices," Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani said.

"Here we call for the recognition of the Syrian National Council as the Syrian people's legitimate representative," said Sheikh Hamad, who is also Qatar's foreign minister.