Syrian Constitutional Committee Launch Gives Hope to All Syrians for Settlement - UN Envoy
The launch of the Syrian Constitutional Committee and the readiness of the government and opposition delegations to engage in dialogue give hope to all Syrians for settlement, UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen said on Wednesday
"The fact that you are here today, sitting together face to face ready to start the dialogue ... is a powerful sign of hope for Syrian everywhere, both inside and outside the country," Pedersen said at the opening ceremony of the committee, which took place in Geneva.
Pedersen called on the committee members to be patient and persistent and "to be ready for compromise and to engage constructively" to properly fulfill the mandate entrusted to the board.
The committee will work in full until the end of the week, but starting on Monday, only a smaller drafting group of 45 members will be addressing substantial issues.
There is no international presence at the ceremony of the launch of the Syrian-only body.
The committee is tasked with rewriting the Syrian constitution. It is a 150-member body with equal representation of the Syrian government, opposition and civil society. A 45-member committee 15 from each of the three represented groups will prepare constitutional initiatives, while the larger body will be responsible for adopting them.