UN envoy shares optimism after initial Syria talks
The Syrian Constitutional Committee held two days of talks in Geneva last week to agree on the formation of a 45-member drafting group, an agenda, and a code of conduct for future talks
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Despite “deep differences”, the 150 members of a committee gathered in Geneva to draft a new Syria constitution held “very successful” meetings after the official launch on Wednesday, United Nations Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen told reporters on Friday.
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مبعوث الأمم المتحدة يُعرب عن تفاؤله بعد انطلاق المحادثات السورية في جنيف
The Constitutional Committee agreed on Friday to the formation of a 45-member drafting body that will begin work on Monday, which UN officials hope will help map a political way forward for the conflict-ridden country.
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Pedersen said he was “very impressed” by the fact that the 150 representatives of the government, the opposition and civil society had agreed for the first time to sit together and talk for two days at the UN headquarters in Geneva.
“We all know, of course, that after eight and a half years of conflict, there are deep differences, a lot of suspicion, a lack of trust,” said Pedersen.
“But the fact that 150 Syrians have been sitting together, respecting each other, talking to each other, discussing – according to the agenda that we agreed upon – the future of Syria, I think was quite impressive. Not only did we agree on an agenda, we also managed to agree on – via consensus – the Code of Conduct for the deliberations of the meetings, and also for the future.”
Syrian led and owned process
The UN envoy stressed that this was a Syrian process, “led” and “owned” by Syrians.
The head of the government delegation, Ahmad Kuzbari, said that his government “will welcome with open arms those who have opinions close to our group… but we will not meet those who are too far removed from our national principles.”
The head of the opposition delegation, Hadi Al-Bahra, stressed that “the most important thing to build confidence… is to establish a permanent ceasefire, release detainees and find the missing.”
No timeline has been fixed for the 45-member drafting body. The aim is to reach a consensus on all the issues raised and any change must be adopted by at least 75% of the votes.
The UN views the work on the Syrian constitution as a key step towards implementing the 2012 roadmap to peace adopted by key nations, which includes a cease-fire and ends with UN-supervised elections and was endorsed in the 2015 UN Security Council Resolution 2254External link. The roadmap was approved by representatives of the UN, the Arab League, European Union, Turkey and all five veto-wielding council members — the US, Russia, China, Britain and France.
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Inside Geneva: Potential and pitfalls for Syrian peace talks
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This week, all eyes have been on a group of 150 people who arrived in Geneva to try to work out the next steps for Syria. Will it go anywhere?
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Inside Geneva: Potential and pitfalls for Syrian peace talks
This content was published on
This week, all eyes have been on a group of 150 people who arrived in Geneva to try to work out the next steps for Syria. Will it go anywhere?
Could a Geneva meeting open the door to peace in Syria?
This content was published on
Here's a short guide to the first meeting of Syria’s Constitutional Committee in Geneva, aimed at mapping a political way forward for the country.
This content was published on
The first meeting of Syria's Constitutional Committee is due to take place in Geneva on October 30 to draft a new constitution.
Swiss foreign minister meets UN special envoy to discuss Syria
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Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis has called for a de-escalation in the violence in Syria and a political solution to resolve conflict.
Swiss foreign minister sees Syrian peace within reach
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Switzerland, as the host state for Geneva’s peace process for Syria, supports the rapid establishment of a Syrian constitutional committee.
Swiss government calls on Turkey to cease fire in Syria
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The Swiss government has called for Turkey to implement an immediate ceasefire in Syria. It is also taking steps to facilitate humanitarian aid.
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Millions have been displaced, hundreds of thousands killed, many regional powers have joined the fight, and Syria’s historic cities lie in ruins.
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If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.