Islam Times - UN-Arab League envoy says Syria truce not successful

Islam Times - UN-Arab League envoy for Syria crisis says Syrians themselves should undertake the process of reforms in their country, expressing regret that the UN-brokered truce had not been successful.

"I am terribly sorry ... that this appeal (for a truce) has not been heard to the level we hoped it would, but that will not discourage us," Lakhdar Brahimi told a news conference after holding talks in Moscow with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday.

The Algerian diplomat condemned bombings in Syria’s civilian areas as terrorist acts.

The four-day ceasefire, which was brokered by Brahimi for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha (Feast of Sacrifice), took effect on Friday.

However, Syrian insurgents set off a bomb in Damascus on the very first day of the holiday, sparking off fighting that went on unabated throughout the weekend.

At least 15 people were killed and several others injured in a car bomb explosion that ripped through an area near the Syrian capital city of Damascus on Monday, the last day of the Muslim holiday.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011.

Damascus says ‘outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorists’ are the driving factor behind the unrest and deadly violence while the opposition accuses the security forces of being behind the killings.

The Syrian government says that the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country and accuses Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey of arming the opposition.