US, UN, Jordan condemn car bombing in Syria

Sep 27, 2008, 20:54 GMT

Washington/New York/Amman - A car bombing in Syria that killed 17 people on Saturday brought worldwide condemnation of the attack.

In New York, the UN Security Council condemned the attack 'in the strongest terms' and called for the 'perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors' of the attack to be brought to justice.

In Amman, Jordan's King Abdullah II on Saturday called the attack an act of 'terrorism,' according to a royal court statement.

In a cable of condolences to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, King Abdullah also expressed Jordan's 'solidarity' with Syria in its handling of the bombing.

In New York, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice condemned the bombing, saying it was not clear who was behind it, but adding: 'Obviously, any activity by extremists is concerning.'

The estimated 200-kilogramme bomb near the busy Sayyida Zainab district also wounded 14 people and was believed to be aimed at intelligence personnel.

The 200-kilo bomb went off near the busy Sayyida Zainab district at 8:45 am (0545 GMT). The bomb, which exploded near a secret service facility, was believed to be targeting a senior intelligence official who was in the building at the time, Lebanese media reported.

Also on Saturday, Rice met with her Syrian counterpart, Walid al- Moualem, on the sidelines of an Iftaar dinner in New York, where the UN General Assembly was wrapping up a week-long summit of world leaders.

The rare senior level diplomatic meeting between the United States and Syria lasted about 10 minutes, and included discussions on developments in the Middle East and the ongoing peace talks between Syria and Israel.

Rice said the United States supports the Syria-Israel talks mediated by Turkey, but added that the Israeli-Palestinian peace process remained Washington's main focus.

Syria is on the US State Department's list of state sponsors of terrorism and the United States has accused Damascus of allowing militants to cross into Iraq to carry out attacks on its soldiers.

Tension between the two countries took a turn for the worse following the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri in February 2005. Syrian intelligence was implicated in the killing, prompting Washington to recall its ambassador to Damascus.