International peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi has met Syria's embattled president Bashar al-Assad.
Mr Brahimi, who represents the UN and the Arab League, is in Damascus to press both the government and the rebels to observe a truce over the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha.
On Friday, he met with Foreign Minister Walid Muallem and opposition leaders.
Syrian state media report that several people were killed in an explosion in a Christian area of Damascus on Sunday.
A car bomb apparently targeted a police station in the Bab Touma district of the old city.
Ceasefire hopes
Heavy clashes were also reported on the main road between Damascus and Aleppo on Saturday, particularly around the town of Maarat al-Numan.
The town has been in rebel hands for more than a week and is seen as strategically important to maintaining a supply route between Syria's largest city Aleppo and the capital Damascus.
Civilians in Syria are desperate for a ceasefire but many doubt President Bashar al-Assad's forces will agree, the BBC's Lina Sinjab reports from the city.
A ceasefire that started on 12 April was soon broken and more violence prevailed.
Mr Brahimi is calling for a ceasefire over the festival of Eid al-Adha, which begins on Friday and lasts over the weekend.
For much of the past 18 months, rebel groups have been fighting against Mr Assad's government and at least 30,000 people are believed to have been killed.
In videos posted online, one rebel group said it was willing to respect a ceasefire given certain conditions, while other groups have not made a decision.Repeated efforts by the international community to find a diplomatic solution have foundered because of a deep divide at the UN Security Council.
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