The Kurdish National Council, an umbrella group of around a dozen parties, and the Western Kurdistan People's Council together announced the formation of the Supreme Kurdish Council, after a meeting that also included Iraq's Kurdish regional president Massud Barzani.

"We announce this good news to our Kurdish people in Syria and Kurdistan," they said in a statement issued Wednesday evening.

"We have built the Kurdish house to unify our struggle between political factions."

The Syrian opposition, particularly its political wing in exile, the Syrian National Council (SNC), has been criticised for the predominance of Islamists in key posts and for not being representative of Syria's diverse religious and ethnic groups.

Kurdish activist Abdel Basset Sayda was named on June 10 to lead the SNC, partly in a bid to gain the confidence of Syria's minorities.

Kurds represent around nine percent of Syria's 23 million population.

They complain of persistent discrimination, and demand recognition for their Kurdish culture and language, and that they be treated as full-fledged citizens.