French President Francois Hollande on Friday criticised his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad for scheduling elections in his war-torn country next month, calling the move "provocative" and "unrealistic".

"The idea that there could be elections (in April) is not just provocative but totally unrealistic," Hollande said after meeting in Paris with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The Syrian state news agency SANA reported on February 22 that parliamentary elections would be held on April 13.