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Summary Powerful explosion hit Damascus, killing 10 people as UN Brahimi appeals for unilateral ceasefire.
An official speaking from the scene said an explosives-rigged taxi blew up 50 meters (yards) from the Bab Touma neighborhoods main police station.He and another official said 17 had been wounded. Both insisted on anonymity because they are not allowed to make press statements.Bab Touma, a popular attraction for shoppers, is inhabited mostly by members of Syrias Christian minority.The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported 10 had died and dozens were wounded, adding that it was not immediately clear if the victims and the wounded were civilians or policemen.An Associated Press reporter at the scene said he saw blood stains in the street and on the pavements. He said glass windows of several shops in the area were shattered and at least four cars were completely burnt.No other details were immediately available. Islamist militant groups fighting alongside the rebels have sometimes claimed responsibility for bomb attacks against security targets in the capital.In another party of the city, Lakhdar Brahimi, who represents the U.N. and the Arab League, met with Assad as part of his push for a cease-fire between rebels and government forces during the four-day Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, which begins Oct. 26.He told reporters following a closed-door meeting that he had earlier met with unidentified Syrian opposition groups inside and outside the country to consult on his truce plan. He said he received promises but not a commitment from them to honor the cease-fire.Meanwhile, peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi on Sunday urged the two sides in Syrias conflict to declare unilateral ceasefires for this weeks Eid al-Adha holiday, following talks with President Bashar al-Assad.I appeal to everyone to take a unilateral decision to cease hostilities on the occasion of Eid al-Adha and that this truce be respected from today or tomorrow, he said, referring to the Muslim holidays that start on Friday.The UN-Arab League envoy told reporters that the ceasefire call was his personal initiative, not a blueprint for peace.This is a call to every Syrian, on the street, in the village, fighting in the regular army and its opponents, for them to take a unilateral decision to stop hostilities, he said.Brahimi added he had contacted political opposition leaders inside and outside Syria and armed groups in the country. We found them to be very favourable to the idea of a truce, he said.We will return to Syria after the Eid (feast) and if calm really takes hold during the feast, we will continue to work on ending the 19-month conflict, said Brahimi, on his second mission to Damascus since taking up the post in September.
