Islam Times - UN Chief Announces Formation of Syria Constitutional Committee

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced Monday the formation of a constitutional committee for Syria.

“It will be facilitated by the United Nations in Geneva,” Guterres told reporters, adding that it would be convened in the coming weeks. The United Nations sees the committee as a next step in efforts to find a political solution to end the crisis in Syria.

Syria’s foreign minister Walid al-Moallem discussed Monday the formation of the constitutional committee and its work with UN special envoy Geir Pedersen who said that “all the outstanding issues” related to it were being addressed in talks.

Pedersen’s visit to Syria comes a week after Guterres announced that a long-sought agreement has been reached on the composition of a committee to draft a new constitution for Syria. The formation of the 150-member committee is an important step in solving Syria’s conflict.

The UN chief said last week that Pedersen “is doing the final work” on finalizing details of the committee, and hoped “this will be very soon concluded.”

Syria’s state news agency SANA reported that al-Moallem’s meeting with Pedersen focused on the committee’s setup and guarantees that it be free “from any foreign intervention.”

SANA added that only the Syrian people should have the right to determine their future “without external pressures in what guarantees restoring security and stability to all parts of Syria.”

Al-Moallem said, according to SANA, that Damascus will have the right to continue fighting “terrorism in accordance with international law.”