Ribal Al-Assad condemns twin car bomb blasts in Damascus

Syria conflict: Twin bomb blasts shake Damascus suburb

www.bbc.co.uk

28 November 2012

At least 34 people are reported to have been killed and many injured by two car bomb explosions in a south-eastern district of Syria's capital, Damascus.

State media said "terrorists" were behind the blasts in Jaramana and broadcast pictures showing several charred vehicles and damaged buildings.

The district is predominantly Druze and Christian, two communities which have so far not joined the uprising.

Pro-government TV channel Addounia said the car bombs had exploded in Jaramana shortly after 06:40 local time (04:40 GMT).

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based activist group, put the death toll at 47, including women and children. It said it had so far identified 38 of the victims and that the death toll would probably rise.

"Activists and residents in the town said most of the victims were killed when a suicide attacker blew up his car, just after an explosive device was used to blow up another car," it added.

No group has said it was behind the bombings, and there was no immediately obvious military or government target, reports the BBC's Jim Muir in Beirut.

No excuse for terrorist attacks in Syria - UN Secretary-General

The Voice of Russia (www.english.ruvr.ru)

29 November 2012

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the terrorist attack on Wednesday near Damascus which killed dozens of people.

"There are no circumstances that would justify the targeting of civilians. Such attacks are unacceptable," said the Secretary General.

Four explosions shook a suburb of Damascus, Jaramana, populated chiefly by Christians.

Two car bombs went off in a central square, and another two hand-made explosive devices went off on other streets in the area.

As a result of the attacks, 54 people were killed and more than 120 injured

Commenting on the bomb blasts, Ribal Al-Assad, Director of the ODFS, said:

"I condemn these evil terrorist attacks. I agree with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon that there are no circumstances that justify the targeting of civilians and that such attacks are unacceptable.The perpetrators must be brought to justice. The cross border arms flow to into Syria has led to greater violence and killings which has brought Syria close to an unstoppable civil war. Therefore I call on all countries and groups who are supplying weapons to stop and for the the violence to cease.

"I call upon both sides in the Syrian conflict to engage in diplomacy and follow the principles set out in the Kofi Annan plan so that a peaceful, inclusive and democratic transition can take place."