BALADI NEWS
The United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Monday announced the formation of a constitutional committee for Syria, in an effort to help move ahead a peace process and resolve political disputes in the country after nearly eight years of war.
Antonio Guterres said the constitutional committee "can and must be the beginning of" the start of a political process to end the devastating conflict.
"I am pleased to announce the agreement of the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic and the Syrian Negotiations Commission for a credible, balanced and inclusive Constitutional Committee that will be facilitated by the UN in Geneva," Guterres said during the 74th General Assembly in New York.
The announcement on Monday came a week after Guterres said an agreement was reached concerning "the composition of the committee".
"I firmly believe that the launching of a Syrian-organised and Syrian-led constitutional committee can be the beginning of a political path towards a solution to the conflict."
"The constitutional committee’s launch and work must be accompanied by concrete actions to build trust and confidence as my Special Envoy discharges his mandate to facilitate a broader political process forward," Guterres said, thanking Turkey, Russia and Iran for diplomatic efforts to form the group.
At a summit on Syria with Russian and Iran hosted by Turkey earlier this month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the participants would urge the constitutional committee to begin work as soon as possible.
Source: Agencies.