Syria Opposition seek for support

Jarba, accompanied on the trip by the Free Syrian Army (FSA) chief Selim Idriss and other opposition leaders, is to meet with President Francois Hollande on Wednesday.

This is the first visit to France since he Jarba was elected head of the main opposition Syrian National Coalition on July 6.

After France, Jarba is heading to New York for meetings at the United Nations. Britain said it had held an informal meeting of the Security Council 15 countries, including Russia and China, with the opposition leadership on Friday.

French officials said the talks are also being planned for the opposition with London and Berlin.

A French diplomatic source said Idriss expected to suppress the rebels' demands for Western arms, including anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles.

Western supporters of the rebellion have been skeptical of supplying arms to the opposition, amid fears they could fall into the hands of radical Islamists.

"The priority for the Coalition is to be able to obtain free weapons for the Army, not only because of the regime of Bashar al-Assad received a large number of weapons from Russia and Iran and has retaken the initiative in some areas, but also because there is a need to strengthen the Free Army in the face of jihad group, "said Ziad Majed, a professor at the American University of Paris.

But a diplomatic source said Paris would insist the talks on "political perspective" to resolve the Syrian civil war.

"First they came to see the president to explain who they are, what their strategies are, what they want to do with the Coalition, what they want to do with Syria but also with the opposition," the source said.

Jarba, which is part of the secular and the veteran dissident faction is seen as close to Saudi Arabia, has criticized some rebel links' with Islamist groups.

Diplomatic sources said the delegation will seek to show that "they are an alternative that respects civil rights and democratic".

The meeting comes amid deadlock in efforts to hold a follow-up conference in Geneva last year set up a transitional government.

Military combat also in deadlock, with the United Nations says up to 100,000 people have been killed since protests against Assad began in March 2011.

Jarba said this week's top priority as the new leader of the opposition is "to secure weapons to the Syrian Army fighters as soon as possible".