UN-led Syria Constitution talks resume in Geneva
Representatives from the Syrian government, opposition and civil society are meeting this week to discuss the “basic principles” of a future Syrian charter.
Dozens of delegates from Syria convened in the Swiss city of Geneva on Monday for the latest round of United Nations-mediated talks aimed at drafting a new constitution for their war-torn country.
Forty-five representatives from the Syrian government, opposition and civil society make up the so-called “small body” of the 150-member Syrian Constitutional Committee. From Jan. 25-29, negotiators will hold their fifth round of talks, which are aimed at discussing the “basic principles” of a future Syrian charter.
“My hope has been that the constitutional committee … if it is handled in a correct manner, that it could start to build trust and that it could be a door-opener for a broader political process," UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen told the UN Security Council last week.
Tasked with finding a political resolution to end the civil war that has killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions more, the Constitutional Committee has yielded few meaningful results. Pederson added that while he sees potential for common ground, negotiators need to act with urgency.
