The United Nations criticized the Syrian decision Monday to hold a presidential election June 3 as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressed political solution to the Syrian conflict

The United Nations criticized the Syrian decision Monday to hold a presidential election June 3 as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressed political solution to the Syrian conflict.

U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon and special envoy for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi have both warned against elections in the current circumstances, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. They believe it "will damage the political process and hamper the prospect for a political solution that the country so urgently needs," he said.

The president of the Syrian parliament, Mohammad al-Laham, announced earlier Monday that presidential elections would be held June 3.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had a telephone conversation with Brahimi on Monday and discussed “the Syrian settlement and peaceful solutions to the crisis” in Syria.

“Lavrov stressed the need for resuming the talks between the delegations of the Syrian government and the opposition,” the foreign ministry said.

Russia is ready to take interim steps towards resuming the Syria talks at the Geneva II international conference at the earliest opportunity, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN Office at Geneva Alexei Borodavkin said earlier this month.

“We want the Syria talks to resume and a third round to be held as soon as possible, and we are ready to take interim steps towards that,” he said. “We could, for example, hold a new round of consultations between Russia, the United States and the United Nations.”