Election announcement undermines political efforts
The U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has warned that Syria's announcement of plans for a presidential election will undermine attempts to find a political solution to the country's three-year-old civil war.
U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Ban Ki-Moon and Syria mediator Lakhdar Brahimi have "warned that the holding of elections in the current circumstances amid the ongoing conflict and massive displacement will damage the political process and hamper the prospects for a political solution."
He added: "Such elections are incompatible with the letter and spirit of the Geneva communique," referring to an agreement made in June 2012 on seeking a political transition in Syria.