THE UNITED NATIONS, May 14. /ITAR-TASS/. The Geneva Communique does not ban holding of presidential elections in Syria, Russia's Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin stated on Tuesday.

"There is nothing in the Geneva Communique that would ban or question such elections. Some (people) assert that such elections would run counter to the spirit of the document. The Geneva Communique can be interpreted differently but it is quite certain that it does not ban holding presidential elections in Syria," Churkin told journalists after the meeting at the UN Security Council.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon had earlier maintained that elections in Syria slated for June 3 would run counter to the "letter and spirit" of the document which contains the basic principles for a settlement of the conflict in Syria.