The Syrian Constitutional Committee was established in 2019 and held 8 sessions without significant results (Al Jazeera)

The opposition's Syrian Negotiating Committee announced its agreement to send its representatives to attend the ninth round of meetings of the Constitutional Committee scheduled for next April, in response to the invitation of the UN Special Envoy to Syria, Geir Pedersen.

This came in a final statement by the Negotiating Committee yesterday, Saturday, following two days of meetings in Istanbul, during which it heard a comprehensive political briefing from its Chairman Badr Jamous, reviewed the reports of its committees, and discussed the general political situation.

The Commission explained in its statement that it had addressed the invitation of the special international envoy to Syria to hold the ninth round of the mini-body of the Constitutional Committee in Geneva during the period between 22-26 April, and the Commission sent official approval to send a delegation of its representatives in the committee to attend the meeting.

The Commission noted its "readiness for positive, constructive action to achieve the committee's mandate in drafting a new constitution for Syria, and the efforts made by the UN envoy to advance the political process to reach a sustainable political solution through the full and strict implementation of Security Council Resolution No. 2254."

UN Special Envoy to Syria Geir Pedersen (Reuters)

Resolution 2254

Resolution 2254 was issued by the United Nations in 2015 with the aim of forming a transitional government in Syria, preparing a new constitution and holding elections, including measures to build confidence and create the atmosphere for holding free and fair elections. However, the broad terminology used in the resolution generated many disagreements and interpretations between the parties, especially regarding the formation of the transitional government or “ Transitional Governing Body.

The Commission affirmed "its position that the negotiated political process with its four axes, which begins with the political agreement and the transitional governing body, is the only gateway to a political solution in Syria," as it put it.

It also called on the United Nations, relevant international organizations, and its member states to fulfill their obligations and pledges towards the rights of refugees, migrants and displaced persons to protection, secure their humanitarian needs, and stop the violations and measures committed and taken against them with the aim of pushing them towards forced and unsafe return.

The committee stressed "the necessity of obliging the regime to release all detainees, and to reveal the fate of missing persons without restrictions or conditions, in implementation of what was stated in the UN resolution on the subject."

On July 16, 2022, Pedersen announced that the ninth round of Constitutional Committee meetings would not be held on its scheduled date at the end of the same month, in light of the Syrian regime’s accusation that Switzerland was not impartial.

The Syrian Constitutional Committee was officially formed in 2019, and consists of 150 members equally divided between the regime, the opposition, and civil society. It held 8 rounds in Geneva to accomplish constitutional reform, which have not yielded any results so far.

This path is one of several paths aimed at finding a political solution to the crisis in Syria, which began in March 2011 when demonstrations took place against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad. The authority met them with repression, which led to the outbreak of a conflict that left tens of thousands dead and millions displaced and refugees inside and outside the country, before it This conflict expands with the entry of external countries and parties.

Source: Al Jazeera + Anadolu Agency