U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Monday that parliamentary elections in Syria are not taking place in right environment and expressed his doubts about their success. “Only a comprehensive and inclusive political dialogue can lead to a genuine democratic future in Syria,” Ban said in a statement. “These elections are not taking place within that framework. Moreover, a democratic process cannot be successful while violence is still ongoing. It is essential that there be a cessation of violence in all its forms and action to implement the Joint Special Envoy's six point proposal.” Special-envoy Kofi Annan will brief the Security Council Tuesday on the six-point plan and the deployment of unarmed observers to monitor the fragile ceasefire that has been violated on several occasions since it took hold on April 12.
