Course of to draft Syria structure begins this week

Mr. Pedersen was talking following a gathering with the federal government and opposition co-chairs of the Syrian Constitutional Committee, who’ve agreed to begin the method for constitutional reform.

The members of its so-called “small physique”, tasked with making ready and drafting the Structure, are within the Swiss metropolis for his or her sixth spherical of talks in two years, which start on Monday. 

Their final assembly, held in January, ended with out progress, and the UN envoy has been negotiating between the events on a method ahead.

“The 2 Co-Chairs now agree that we are going to not solely put together for constitutional reform, however we’ll put together and begin drafting for constitutional reform,” Mr. Pedersen told journalists.

“So, the brand new factor this week is that we are going to really be beginning a drafting course of for constitutional reform in Syria.”

The UN continues to assist efforts in the direction of a Syrian-owned and led political resolution to finish greater than a decade of battle that has killed upwards of 350,000 folks and left 13 million in want of humanitarian help.

An essential contribution

The Syrian Constitutional Committee was fashioned in 2019, comprising 150 women and men, with the Authorities, the opposition and civil society every nominating 50 folks.

This bigger group established the 45-member small physique, which consists of 15 representatives from every of the three sectors.

For the primary time ever, committee co-chairs Ahmad Kuzbari, the Syrian authorities consultant, and Hadi al-Bahra, from the opposition facet, met along with Mr. Pedersen on Sunday morning. 

He described it as “a considerable and frank dialogue on how we’re to proceed with the constitutional reform and certainly intimately how we’re planning for the week forward of us.”

Mr. Pedersen informed journalists that whereas the Syrian Constitutional Committee is a crucial contribution to the political course of, “the committee in itself will be unable to unravel the Syrian disaster, so we have to come collectively, with severe work, on the Constitutional Committee, but additionally handle the opposite points of the Syrian disaster.”