Discussions with Damascus were substantial: UN official

QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – On Saturday, the UN Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, said that he held “substantial discussions” with the Syrian authorities in Damascus, expressing his hope for the Constitutional Committee meetings to be resumed. 

Speaking to reporters following his meeting with the Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Faisal Mekdad, Pedersen said his discussion with the Syrian side touched upon the economic challenges and the situation on the ground in the country.

He expressed hope regarding the work of the Syrian Constitutional Committee.

The Constitutional Committee consists of 150 members, including 50 representatives of the opposition, the government and civil society, where its mission is to reformulate the Syrian constitution, under UN supervision.  

The committee’s work began in November 2019, with meetings in Geneva, Switzerland, to be halted in the same month, amid mutual accusations between the government and the opposition to obstruct the committee’s work.  

On September 18, 2020, Pedersen announced that efforts to set the committee’s agenda had faltered, without naming the causer.