Political leaders and the international community have rallied to condemn the car bombing which rocked the Syrian capital of Damascus on Saturday morning, killing 17 civilians and injuring 14 others.

In New York, the UN Security Council condemned the attack "in the strongest terms" and called for the "perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors" of the attack to be brought to justice.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice also condemned the attack during a meeting in New York on Sunday with Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, secretary general of the Organization of the Islamic Conference.

"Obviously, any activity by extremists is concerning, "she said.

US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said in a statement that the United States "condemns today's terrorist attack in Damascus."

"This attack is particularly abhorrent as it comes during the holy month of Ramadan. We extend our deepest sympathies to the victims and their families," he added.

Gordon Duguid, another spokesman for the State Department, said there was no evidence any US citizens were killed or injured in the incident, or of specific threats against the American community or embassy in Damascus.

He said that in view of heightened concern about security at the US embassy in Damascus, the consular section of the mission there would close for all but emergency services for American citizens from September 28 to 30.

Syria's neighbor Lebanon joined other Arab and European countries in condemning the bombing.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit, still in New York for the UN General Assembly session, expressed sympathy for the victims of the attack, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki said.

Earlier in the day, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak sent a message of condolences to his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad over the victims of the car bomb blast, the official MENA news agency reported.

In Amman, Jordan's King Abdullah II on Saturday called the bombing an act of "terrorism", a royal court statement said.

In a message of condolences to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, King Abdullah also expressed Jordan's solidarity with Syria in its handling of the bombing.

Lebanese President Michel Suleiman said in his condolence message to Bashar that Lebanon supported Syria in its fight against terrorism.

Earlier reports said 17 people were killed and 14 others were injured when a car packed with some 200 kilograms of explosives blew up near a security checkpoint on a road to Damascus airport.

The blast occurred on the Mahlaq road in southern Damascus in an area crowded with civilian passers-by, said the official SANA news agency.

The bombing site was near the Sayeda Zeinab neighborhood, which is popular with Shiite pilgrims from Iran, Lebanon and Iraq.

Syrian Interior Minister Bassam Abdel Majid described the attack as "a cowardly terrorist act," and said all the victims were civilians.

The blast was the deadliest since 1986 when a series of coordinated attacks in Syria killed at least 144 people and injured another 149. In December 1996, 13 people were killed in a Damascus bus bombing.

It was the first explosion in the Syrian capital since February when Hezbollah leader Imad Moughniyah was killed in a car bombing in a residential neighborhood of Damascus.

(Xinhua News Agency September 28, 2008)