UN to receive fourth round of Syrian Constitutional Committee
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The United Nations announced, on Wednesday, that final plans are being made to hold the fourth round of the work of the Syrian Constitutional Committee in Geneva, after many efforts to block it.
Khawla Matar, Deputy Special Envoy for the Secretary-General to Syria, informed the UN Security Council that the committee will hold its fourth session from November 30 to December 4 in Geneva.
She said that it would be ensured that health and safety protocols were followed more strictly before the meeting.
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 August 29, the third round of the work of the Constitutional Committee concluded in Geneva without achieving any results, after the Syrian government delegation refused to extend the work of the round.
At the time, the opposition delegation objected to the government delegation to be named as the national delegation.
On September 18, Geir Pedersen, the UN Special Envoy to Syria, announced that efforts to set the committee’s agenda had faltered, without naming the causer.
Pedersen continues his tour to the influential forces in the Syrian crisis, a few days before the start of the work of the Constitutional Committee.
He visited Saudi Arabia during the past hours, where he met with Faisal bin Farhan, Saudi Foreign Minister.
During the past period, he paid visits to Tehran, Moscow and Ankara, in addition to his meetings with the Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, in Cairo.
He also had phone calls with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, and with American and European officials.
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.