London: Syrian people bear greatest burden

LONDON, May 10 (UPI) -- The Syrian people are the ones who continue to suffer under the violence and repression plaguing the country, the British foreign minister said.

Massive explosions in Damascus left at least 40 people dead and another 300 wounded in one of the largest single-day attacks since the onset of the conflict in March 2011.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague mourned the loss of mostly civilian lives.

"Yet again it is the people of Syria who are suffering as a result of the repression and violence, which must come to an end," Hague said in a statement.

The attacks came despite the presence of U.N. monitors on the ground observing the terms of a cease-fire agreement brokered by former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

Hague called on the Syrian government to commit fully to the peace plan and urged members of the opposition to "take all steps necessary to bring about a sustainable end to the violence."

Thursday's violence followed an attack on a convoy carrying members of the U.N. Support Mission in Syria. The Syrian government claimed 10 of its soldiers were injured in the explosion, though no casualties were reported among members of the monitoring team.

A statement attributed to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said there was no evidence to suggest the attack was meant for the observer mission specifically but stressed the mission and the work of Annan "are possibly the only remaining chance to stabilize the country and avert a civil war."