Syrian state TV reported that three people had been injured in the blast, but that none of them were UN monitors.
The intended target of the explosion was not immediately clear.
Meanwhile UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos, who is visiting Syria, has said it should be made easier for aid to be delivered to civilians.
Later on Wednesday, the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation (OIC) is expected to suspend Syria's membership over the violence.
State television said Wednesday's blast had been caused by a bomb near a fuel truck planted in a car park near the hotel, but other reports suggested it had been an improvised explosive device (IED).
Images from the scene showed several charred vehicles, including a tanker which had had its rear section blown out. UN vehicles in the nearby car park were seen covered in dust and debris.
"There was a huge explosion and a fireball, and soldiers were thrown to the ground by the blast," a military officer told the AFP news agency.
There are several government and military buildings in the vicinity. The area around the hotel, the Dama Rose, is a high-security zone.
Syria's Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad visited the scene and told state media it was "a criminal act aimed at distorting Syria's image". He called on the international community to "work hand-in-hand against terrorism".
"Our primary goal is to secure the observer mission team and thank God no one from this mission has been hurt since it arrived in Syria," he said.
A senior member of the main rebel force, the Free Syrian Army (FSA), told the AFP news agency it had carried out the attack and that it had been "designed to go off at a meeting of army officers and members of the shabiha [pro-government militia] which decides on daily operations in Damascus".
"This operation aims to boost the morale of the FSA and tell Bashar al-Assad and his command that we can conduct carefully planned operations because we know what is happening in their ranks," he said.
His claim could not be immediately verified.
Source: BBC News
0 comments:
Post a Comment