Mekdad calls Pederson not to set timetable for discussing Syrian constitution
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – On Monday, the Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Faisal Mekdad, called on the UN Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, to be neutral and not to set a timetable for the Constitutional Committee’s discussions.
On Monday, Pedersen met with Mekdad, where they discussed the political and economic situation in the country.
On his arrival in Damascus on Sunday, Pedersen said that his discussions would concentrate on the UN Resolution 2254 and the living conditions in the country.
The official news agency SANA said, Pedersen and Mekdad discussed a number of issues related to the situation in Syria, including the political and economic situation.
It added that Mekdad called on Pedersen to adhere to neutrality and not set a timetable for the Constitutional Committee’s discussions.
They both stressed the non-interference of the external forces in the affairs of the Constitutional Committee and not setting any timetables for its work imposed by the outside.
Mekdad condemned both of the Turkish and American presence in Syria, and asked the UN to stand against all these practices.
Just before heading to Syria, Pedersen met with a number of Russian officials in Moscow to urge them to put more pressure on the Syrian government in order to set a date for the sixth round of the Constitutional Committee negotiations.
On February 17, the works of the 15th round of Astana talks started in the Russian city of Sochi in the presence of representatives of the guarantor countries of Turkey, Russia and Iran.
Also, Pederson, delegations of Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon and a representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan had participated as observers.
At the end of the meeting, the delegations agreed on holding the 16th round of Astana talks in the middle of 2021 in the Kazakh capital, Nur-Sultan.
Late in January, the fifth round of the Constitutional Committee’s meeting concluded without achieving any progress.