PARIS — France announced Tuesday that it is recognizing the newly formed Syrian rebel coalition and will consider arming the group, seeking to inject momentum into a broad Western and Arab effort to build a viable and effective opposition that would hasten the end of a stalemated civil war that has destabilized the Middle East.

The announcement by President Francois Hollande made France the first Western country to fully embrace the new coalition, which came together last weekend under Western pressure after days of negotiations in Doha, Qatar.