UN Envoy to Syria: Constitutional reform cannot solve Syrian conflict
(North Press) – UN Special Envoy to Syria Geir Pedersen said on Tuesday that the conflict in Syria cannot be solved with only constitutional reform or a new constitution.
Pedersen made a visit to the Syrian capital Damascus during which he met with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem, as well as with the co-chair of the Syrian Constitutional Committee Dr. Ahmed Kuzbari and the Russian Ambassador to Syria.
The meetings dealt with the next round of discussions of the mini-constitutional committee, in addition to other issues.
Pedersen added during a briefing with the UN Security Council that progress in the Constitutional Committee could open the door to a deeper and broader political process.
He explained that there is a need to expand cooperation to include all issues and address a set of steps contained in UN Resolution 2254, which calls for a political solution to the Syrian crisis.
Pedersen said that the co-chairs of the Constitutional Committee should proceed with their agenda in a way that addresses all issues, without preconditions, according to Russia Today.
He also expressed his belief that now is the time for action to be taken to “address the fate of tens of thousands of detained, kidnapped, and missing Syrians.”