UN leader Ban Ki-moon and the UN Security Council strongly condemned 'terrorist' attacks in Damascus which left at least 55 dead and called on all sides to stick to an international peace plan.
Ban reaffirmed a call for all sides to cease violence and "to distance themselves from indiscriminate bombings and other terrorist acts," UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said.
The UN secretary general "strongly condemns" the Damascus car bombs which President Bashar al-Assad's government has blamed on opposition rebels. The opposition has accused the government of staging the huge car bomb blasts.
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"The secretary general underscores once more the need for immediate and full cooperation with UN efforts aimed at ending all violence and human rights violations, securing humanitarian access and facilitating a Syrian-led political transition," said the statement.
Ban has already warned this week that a bomb attack on a convoy carrying UN observers could cast doubt on the future of the monitoring mission. Ban and Annan have said that if the UN mission fails, civil war is almost certain to follow.
The Security Council members "condemned in the strongest terms the terrorist attacks" in the Syrian capital, said a statement released by the 15-nation body. "They expressed their deep sympathy and sincere condolences to the victims of these heinous acts and to their families."
The council also called on all sides to "immediately and comprehensively" implement the six-point peace plan of UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan, "in particular to cease all armed violence."
Syria's UN envoy said British, French and Belgian nationals were among foreign fighters killed in the country's mounting conflict and that there was Al-Qaeda involvement.
The ambassador, Bashar Jaafari, told the UN Security Council that on top of the Damascus blasts, an explosion in the city of Aleppo had left "several civilian victims and massive damages to private property."
Jaafari said 12 foreign fighters had been killed and 26 detained in recent clashes with Syrian forces.
"We have a list that contains 12 names of foreign terrorists killed in Syria, including one French citizen, one British citizen, one Belgian citizen," Jaafari told the council.
He said a list of the 26 foreigners detained had been sent to Ban and to the Security Council.
Jaafari renewed condemnation of Gulf Arab states and Turkey who he accused of backing the foreign fighters and Syrian rebels.
