Syrian delegations to start new round of constitutional talks

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Geneva, Nov 30 (IANS) The latest round of Syrian constitutional talks, aimed at writing a new Constitution to pave the way for a political solution for the decade-long conflict in the country, will begin in Geneva on Monday, a UN envoy said.

Addressing a press conference on Sunday, Geir O. Pedersen, the UN Special Envoy for Syria, said that the Fourth Convening of the Small Body of the Syrian Constitutional Committee will start on Monday morning inside the European headquarters of the UN in Geneva, Xinhua news agency reported.

The envoy said that the delegations will continue with the same agenda as in the previous meeting, discussing the so-called National Foundations and Principles.

"I am looking forward to extensive, and hopefully good discussions next week that will be able to bring us a little bit further down the road towards then starting the discussions in January on Constitutional Principles," he said.

Saying that after nearly 10 years of conflict there is a deep lack of trust between the Syrian parties, Pedersen highlighted that the building of trust could be a door-opener to a broader political process.

"There is no deadline and there is no exact timeline for this discussion, but we had agreed that we should work in a manner that makes progress possible," he said.

The Syrian Constitutional Committee, which comprises representatives of the Syrian government, the opposition, and civil society, was officially launched in Geneva on October 30, 2019 to draft a new constitution for the war-torn country.

The Committee's Small Body held its last sessions in Geneva in August this year, without making any major progress.

The Small Body includes 45 delegates, 15 each from the three groups.

--IANS

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