The UN Security Council has strongly condemned the "terrorist attacks" in Syria, urging all parties to the 14-month conflict to cease armed violence and comply with a UN-backed peace plan.
"The members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the terrorist attacks that occurred in Damascus, Syria, on 10 May, causing numerous deaths and injuries," the 15-member body said in a statement.
The Security Council also called on all parties in Syria to "immediately and comprehensively" implement UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan's six-point peace plan, in particular to cease all forms of armed violence.
The council "reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security, and that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation”.
The statement was released after a Security Council debate on the global fight against terrorism during which Syrian UN Ambassador Bashar Jaafari said there had been an increase in "the scale and frequency of terrorist activities and operations in Syria" since a shaky April 12 truce took hold.