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The US has said it will allow Syria's main opposition alliance to open a diplomatic mission in the US capital of Washington DC, the BBC reported.

It also announced an additional $27m (£16m) in non-lethal aid to rebel commanders.

The move comes ahead of talks between senior US officials and Ahmad al-Jarba, president of the opposition council.

The US first recognised the group as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people in December 2012.

The move does not mean the US recognises the council as Syria's government, nor grant its members diplomatic immunity, says the BBC's state department correspondent, Barbara Plett.

Nor does it allow the opposition to take over the Syrian embassy, suspended by the state department in March.

But an unnamed US official told the Associated Press news agency in a press call it had been a key request by opposition members, as they believe it will give them greater presence and credibility with officials in Washington and among Syrian expatriates in the US.