UN chief condemns car bombing in Syria's Homs

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Wednesday condemned the car bombing in central Homs of western Syria in which 36 people were killed and many more injured.

"These are horrendous acts of terror against innocent civilians," Xinhua quoted a statement issued by Ban's spokesperson.

"The secretary-general deeply regrets that the attack in Homs comes in the midst of ongoing cease-fire negotiations over the Old City of Homs and calls on the government and opposition groups to resist provocative attempts at undermining any peace efforts," the statement said.

Reiterating his position that no side can achieve a military victory in the Syrian conflict, Ban appealed to all parties to live up to their responsibility under humanitarian law and stop targeting civilian areas, including through aerial bombard-ments and barrel bombs.

A car bomb exploded Tuesday in a pro-government district of Homs, killing 36 people and wounding 85 others.