Updated

Damascus has blasted the European Union for recognizing the newly formed Syrian opposition coalition as a legitimate voice of the Syrian people.

State-run daily Al-Thawra newspaper derided the coalition formed earlier this month as a "deformed" newborn baby.

A front-page editorial Wednesday in the paper — which is a government mouthpiece — says that all possible "cosmetic surgeries do not bode well for the evolution of this monster."

EU's 27 foreign ministers recognized the Syrian coalition during their monthly meeting this week.

The National Coalition of the Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces was formed Nov. 11 in Qatar under pressure from the United States for a stronger, more united opposition body to serve as a counterweight to the more extremist forces fighting President Bashar Assad's regime.