Russian Ambassador to the United Nations, Gennady Gatilov, yesterday expressed the hope of his country to reach an agreement under the auspices of the United Nations to form a new Syrian constitutional committee, revealing its meeting in the near future, and at a time when six Syrian army soldiers were killed, explosions occurred in a Turkish ammunition depot near Syrian border, but no casualties.

In a press briefing in Geneva, Gatilov said he expects the UN special envoy, Geir Pederson, to announce an agreement to form the commission soon after negotiations between the Syrian government and the opposition have been completed. Asked whether the committee would meet by the end of the year, he replied: "Maybe early on this, hopefully in September." He added that "it is an important progress and opens the way foremost to start the work of the constitutional committee, and in general the way to reach a political solution to the Syrian crisis."

The formation of the constitutional committee is crucial for political reforms and new elections aimed at unifying Syria and ending the eight-year civil war that has killed hundreds of thousands and displaced about half of Syria's pre-war population of 22 million.

Last month, UN special envoy Geir Pederson said in Damascus after talks that the United Nations was close to a deal with Syria on the formation of the constitutional commission, a long-awaited step in the stalled peace process.

"The Special Envoy looks forward to completing the composition and rules of procedure of the Constitutional Commission," said Jennifer Fenton, a spokeswoman for Pederson. We appreciate Russia's active support for the efforts of the United Nations to achieve a comprehensive political solution, owned and led by the Syrians and in accordance with Security Council Resolution 2254 ».

UN Security Council Resolution 2254 provided for the formation of a constitutional commission, a ceasefire and a political transition.

According to the proposed plan, the Constitutional Committee will be composed of 150 members, 50 of whom will be chosen by the Syrian authorities, 50 by the opposition, and 50 by the UN envoy.

In Ankara, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said yesterday that the process of establishing the Constitutional Commission has reached its final stage. "We object to one name at the moment," he said during a meeting with ambassadors in Ankara. "Russia needs to do what it takes to change that person."

The Russian President, Vladimir Putin, has pointed to the difficulty of full agreement on the candidates for membership in the drafting committee of the Constitution in Syria.

On the ground, six members of the Syrian army and their loyalists were killed in an operation carried out by elements of the opposition National Liberation Front (FNL), along with other fighters, on the axis of Rasho hill in the Kurdish Mountain in the northern countryside of Latakia, according to the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Clashes continue between the two sides on the castle axes in Jabal Al-Turkman accompanied by shelling of Russian fighter jets in the area, in addition to intensive ground shelling targeting the axes of Kebaneh, Tardeen, Al-Khader, Al-Haddadah, Al-Tuffah, Al-Barnas, Al-Yonisia and their supply routes, as well as to the villages of Jisr Al-Shughour countryside.

Aerial bombardments by Syrian Air Force and the Russian “Guarantor” on the “de-escalation zone” continue, increasing to 23 the number of raids carried out by Russian guarantor aircraft since midnight until Friday noon in the northern countryside of Hama, enabling the forces Since the collapse of the agreement, the government has taken control of both the Forty, Zakat, Sakhr, and Jaysat, bringing the last major strongholds of the northern factions of Hama, the towns of Kafr Zita and Latamna, according to the Observatory.

With more casualties, it brings to 3,032 the number of people killed since the start of the fiercest escalation ever, in the area of ​​"de-escalation" on the 30th of last April, until Friday.

Meanwhile, Turkish television station NTV reported that a series of explosions took place in an ammunition depot in Turkey's Khatai province near the Syrian border in the early hours of yesterday, and that nearby houses were evacuated, but there were no reports of human casualties. The cause of the blasts in the Rihanli district was not immediately clear, it said. She said emergency services had sealed off the area.