8th Round of Syrian Constitutional Talks kicked off in Geneva
IDLIB, Syria (North Press) – Hassan al-Hariri, a member of the Syrian Constitutional Committee of the opposition delegation, said on Tuesday that they discussed the first principle of the agenda; the “Unilateral coercive measures from a constitutional standpoint, during the first session of the 8th round of the constitutional committee.
The principle was put forward by the civil society delegation, which is nominated by the Syrian government, according to al-Hariri.
The five-day 8th round of constitutional talks started in Geneva on May 30 in the presence of representatives of the Syrian government, the opposition and civil society organizations.
In-depth discussions took place on this principle, as the economic sanctions and the Caesar Act were discussed, al-Hariri said.
The opposition delegation opposed this principle, explaining that these measures taken by these countries were based on the gross violations of human rights and crimes against humanity. We mentioned Tadamon Massacre as an example, al-Hariri told North Press.
“All rounds of the constitutional committee, including the ongoing 8th one, will push the political process forward, as they are part of the political process,” al-Hariri added.
He recalled the four principles included in the international resolution, which are “a transitional governing body, elections, the army, the armed forces and security services.”
“These issues are now being discussed between the Syrian opposition and the regime under the auspices of the United Nations,” he said.
Hariri stated that they did not notice any disruption by any of the three delegations. In-depth discussions took place on the proposed principle, and the dialogues were calm, unlike previous rounds.
Today, the second session of the 8th round began, with the presentation of a proposal by the Syrian government delegation entitled “maintaining and strengthening State’s institutions.”
The proposal read “State institutions implement the state’s general policy and operate within the limits of the powers granted to it by the constitution and national laws in the Syrian Arab Republic. Maintaining the existing institutions, enhancing their role and developing their performance is a national duty.”
The document presented by the government delegation reiterated that any internal or external threat aimed at undermining state institutions or disrupting their work is a violation of the constitution and the law will be held accountable for it.
“The Syrian Arab Army and the Armed Forces are national institutions supported the Syrians. It is their duty to defend the integrity, security and sovereignty of the homeland from all forms of terrorism, occupation, interference and external aggression,” the proposal included.
On March 25, the 7th round of the Syrian Constitutional Committee ended in Geneva with no results achieved.
The Constitutional Committee was formed by the UN to bring the Syrian government and opposition together within the context of the political solution for the Syrian crisis.
The committee, which was first met in 2019, has a Large Body and a Small Body; the Large Body comprises 150 members: 50 of the government, 50 of the opposition and 50 of the civil society. While the Small Body comprises 45 members: 15 of the government, 15 of the opposition and 15 of the civil society.