Delegates of Syrian Constitutional Committee at Odds Over Relocation of Work to Damascus

GENEVA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd November, 2019) The co-chairs of the Syrian Constitutional Committee failed to agree on Friday on the need to transfer the body's work to Damascus.

"We hope to transfer the work of the committee to Damascus," Ahmad Kuzbari, the committee's co-chair from the Syrian government, told reporters.

Hadi Bahra, the committee's co-chair from the opposition, said the delegation's members were allegedly in danger in Damascus and were being "persecuted."

"The committee was formed in Geneva by decision of the UN, you can't ask them to go to Damascus," Bahra said.

The committee had its opening session in Geneva on Wednesday. A representative of the committee from the opposition delegation, Abdulhakim Bashar, told Sputnik that the main work of the constitutional committee would begin on Monday, November 4, by the smaller committee of 45 members, while the remaining days of this week will see exchanges of opinions of all 150 members on organizational issues.

The committee is tasked with amending 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.