Arab League chief says Syria peace talks set for Nov. 23

Arab League chief Nabil Elaraby said on Sunday peace talks aimed at ending the conflict in Syria would take place on Nov. 23 in Geneva.
    
"I discussed the Syria file with Lakhdar Brahimi and it was decided that the Geneva meeting would take place on November 23 and arrangements are being made to prepare for this conference," Elaraby told reporters in Cairo after a meeting with Brahimi, the international envoy for Syria.

But at the same news conference Brahimi said: "The date has not been officially set."

On the field:

The Syrian state news agency says a car bomb has exploded on the edge of the central city of Hama, causing casualties.
 
SANA said the explosion occurred early Sunday, but provided no further details.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the explosion appeared to target a government checkpoint on a highway close to the city.

The Observatory, which has a network of activists on the ground, said ambulances were racing to the scene.

Car bombs are most frequently used by hard-line al-Qaeda-linked militants fighting among the rebels.


REUTERS/AP