France "strongly condemned" twin bomb attacks in Damascus Saturday which Syrian authorities said killed 27 people and wounded 97, Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said.

"France condemns all acts of terrorism, which cannot be justified under any circumstances," Juppe said, expressing his condolences to the families of the victims.

Saudi Arabia is delivering military equipment to Syrian rebels in an effort to stop bloodshed by President Bashar Assad's regime, a top Arab diplomat said on Saturday.

"Saudi military equipment is on its way to Jordan to arm the Free Syrian Army," the diplomat told Agence France Presse on condition of anonymity.

Russia on Saturday said Syrian peace envoy Kofi Annan was not seeking President Bashar Assad's ouster but a solution to the year-long conflict that suited both the opposition and the regime.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he spoke to Annan shortly after his talks with Assad earlier this month and was informed that the strongman president's resignation was not under discussion.

Iraq has informed Iran that it will not permit arms shipments to Syria to pass through or over its territory, government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said on Saturday.

Two huge bomb blasts killed at least 27 people in Syria's capital on Saturday, sparking anger at Riyadh and Doha, as special envoy Kofi Annan warned of regional fallout from the year-long bloodshed.

State television said the early morning "terrorist" attacks, apparently car bombings timed minutes apart, had targeted police headquarters in the Duwar al-Jamarek area and air force intelligence offices in al-Qasaa district.

President Michel Suleiman denied that he asked for the amendment of the age of retirement for the army commander to prevent him from announcing his candidacy for the presidency.

In an interview published in An Nahar newspaper on Saturday, Suleiman said: “If army chief Gen. Jean Qahwaji retires about nine months before the end of the president’s term, is it permissible to appoint a new army leader?”

Special envoy Kofi Annan warned of an "escalation" of the Syria conflict into the rest of the Middle East unless it is carefully handled as he called on the U.N. Security Council to unite to put pressure on President Bashar al-Assad.

Annan gave his warning as Turkey told its nationals to leave Syria where thousands took part in new protests against the government. Activists said at least another 15 people were killed.

Foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton said Friday she will maintain the European Union's diplomatic presence in Damascus regardless of decisions taken by member states on their own needs.

"The issue of diplomatic representation in the country is of course under constant review by the member states, but there is no common line at this time," said Ashton's spokesman Michael Mann.

Foreign ministers from Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, meeting in Tunis said Friday the Syrian crisis should be resolved in an "Arab framework" and opposed foreign military intervention in the country.

"We are all against military intervention in Syria, and we want the problem to be resolved in an Arab framework," Tunisian Foreign Minister Rafik Abdessalem said after meeting with his Egyptian and Libyan counterparts, Mohamed Amr and Ashour bin Khayyal.

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe urged the Syrian opposition to stop "tearing itself apart" in an interview published on Friday, in which he also opposed providing Syrian rebels with arms.

"There are some opponents whose attitudes are seriously weakening the opposition -- as long as they continue to tear themselves apart and fight amongst themselves," Juppe said in an interview with French newspaper Le Monde.