A twin car-bombing targeting two government buildings in the Syrian capital Damascus has caused heavy casualties, reinforcing claims by the Syrian government that it has become the victim of externally-backed terrorism.
Syria’s state-run news agency, SANA, citing preliminary information reported that the car bombs had targeted the aviation intelligence department and the criminal security department. This was followed by a spurt of shooting that sent residents and others who had gathered scurrying for cover.
At least 27 people have been killed and 97 wounded during Saturday’s double-strike.
ADVERTISEMENT
Suicide bombers had targeted Damascus earlier in December. Syria’s largest city and business hub, Aleppo was rocked by twin blasts on February 10, 2012 with that attack killing 28 people.
As the explosions rocked Damascus, the United Nations Special envoy, Kofi Annan, appeared set for a deeper diplomatic intervention in Syria. The situation in the country remains in deep flux, despite greater military assertion by the regime in rebel strongholds of Homs and Idlib and Derra.
Addressing the media after briefing members of the U.N. Security Council
ADVERTISEMENT
(UNSC) on Friday via video link from Geneva, Mr. Annan made it plain that he was dissatisfied with the lack of unity on Syria among the Council members.
He stressed that the Security Council must speak with "one voice" on the Syrian issue — a veiled reference to two camps that had emerged on Syria; one led by the United States and the Arab countries, and another comprising Russia and China.
On its part the Syrian side pledged to support Mr. Annan’s mission, but also pointed to the need for addressing “foreign financing of terrorism” in the country. Syria has insisted that externally backed armed fighters have taken over anti-regime protests in places like Homs and other major flashpoints where violence has flared strongly.
Syria’s critics, especially in the Gulf countries have, however, insist that the Syrian regime was killing innocent civilians — a position that has become the basis for the call by Qatar and Saudi Arabia for arming the Syrian opposition.
In a statement after Mr. Annan’s briefing, Bashar Jaafari, Syria’s permanent representative to the United Nations, pledged that his country “will make Annan's mission successful".
On Friday, Syria's Foreign Ministry sent two letters to the U.N. Security Council's chief and the head of the U.N. Human Rights Council, stressing the country’s readiness to establish a dialogue with all the Syrian opposition parties as well as independents. Analysts say that Syria’s decision is in line with Mr. Annan’s advocacy that an inclusive intra-Syrian dialogue should pave the way for a peaceful resolution of the crisis, which had erupted a year ago. Russia, China and India have also said that the solution to the conflict should be found by the Syrians themselves — a position that implicitly rejected the call for the exit of Syria’s President, Bashar Assad.
Signalling that the wheels of diplomacy were turning fast, Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov has said that Moscow was in constant touch with the Assad regime and “sending relevant signals to Damascus so as to ensure full cooperation between the Annan mission and Syrian leaders".
The crisis in Syria has continued to expose the widening gulf between Russia and Saudi Arabia, with Mr. Lavrov on Friday denouncing Riyadh’s decision to close its embassy in Syria. Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the other members of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) also announced their decision to end their diplomatic presence in Syria. Besides,
Turkey had decided to scale down its presence by suspending all consular services in Syria.
Despite the diplomatic turmoil, the UN, under Mr. Annan’s leadership is set for greater activism in Syria. A UN team would head for Syria over the weekend to explore in detail with the Syrian authorities, the proposals that Mr. Annan had made during his maiden visit to Damascus.