The establishment of a constitutional committee in Syria is the first political agreement between the Syrian government and opposition and can open the door to a broader political process, United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen said at a press conference on Monday
GENEVA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th October, 2019) The establishment of a constitutional committee in Syria is the first political agreement between the Syrian government and opposition and can open the door to a broader political process, United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen said at a press conference on Monday.The 150-member Constitutional Committee with equal representation of the government, opposition and civil society is expected to be launched on Wednesday. Speaking at the press-conference in Geneva, Pedersen stressed that it would be "a Syrian-led, Syrian-armed constitutional process, facilitated by the United Nations."
"The agreement to establish the Constitutional Committee with terms of reference and core rules of procedure marks the first political agreement between the government of Syria and the opposition. That is my first point. My second point is that this marks a clear acceptance of the other as an interlocutor in the political process outlined in Security Council Resolution 2254," Pedersen said.
According to the UN Envoy, the agreement to establish the Constitutional Committee will commit all conflict parties involved - the government, opposition and civil society - to "sit together, face-to-face" around the negotiation table.
"And last but not least, it could be a door-opener to a broader political process," Pedersen added.
Resolution 2254 was unanimously adopted by the UN Security Council on December 18, 2015. It outlines a road map and timetable for the peace process in Syria, including an immediate ceasefire by the conflict parties and a UN-administered democratic election to be held within 18 months pursuant to the adoption of the new constitution. The constitutional committee will be mandated with drafting it.
The resolution of the conflict in Syria, in its ninth year now, has been promoted within various mechanisms, including the so-called Astana talks under the mediation of Russia, Iran and Turkey which resulted in a landmark ceasefire agreement and establishment of four de-escalation zones. The initial agreement to form the Constitutional Committee was reached during the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in January 2018 in the Russian city of Sochi.
