The proceedings of the Syrian Constitutional Committee (SCC), which is scheduled to convene later in August, should be moved from the Swiss city of Geneva to Damascus, Qadri Jamil, the leader of the Syrian opposition's Popular Front for Change and Liberation and head of the Moscow Platform, said at an online press conference on Tuesday
ST. PETERSBURG (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th August, 2020) The proceedings of the Syrian Constitutional Committee (SCC), which is scheduled to convene later in August, should be moved from the Swiss city of Geneva to Damascus, Qadri Jamil, the leader of the Syrian opposition's Popular Front for Change and Liberation and head of the Moscow Platform, said at an online press conference on Tuesday.
"We reiterate our proposal and ask once again our opposition colleagues and the regime to reconsider their negative reaction to the idea of transferring work of the Syrian Constitutional Committee from Geneva to Damascus," Jamil said.
The Moscow Platform head called on the United Nations and the guarantors of the Syrian peace process, which includes Russia and Turkey, to ensure the safety of the proceedings should the SCC move to Damascus.
"You can start working abroad, you can appoint members of the committee abroad, but its work must take place domestically. We demand that future meetings are held in Syria and do not see any obstacles to do so. We also ask the guarantors and the UN to ensure safety," he said.
In late July, the UN special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, announced that the third session of the SCC would be held on August 24 in Geneva. Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia welcomed the announcement and reiterated Moscow's intention to support intra-Syrian dialogue.
The SCC met for the first time this past October. The 150-member body, containing an equal number of representatives from the government, opposition, and civil society, was established to draft a new constitution for Syria within the ongoing UN-backed peace process.
