The highlights of the meetings of the “Syrian Constitutional Committee” today in Geneva

On Monday evening, the work of the first day of the fifth session of the mini-“Syrian Constitutional Committee” concluded at the United Nations building (Palace of Nations), in the Swiss city of Geneva, during which the Assad regime delegation rejected two proposals. The opposition delegation stated in “Twitter” that two sessions (morning and evening) were held, and its representatives discussed with other delegations the “basic principles of the Syrian constitution”, in line with the mandate of the Constitutional Committee, reference standards and basic elements of the internal regulations, according to the previously agreed agenda. According to the sources of the “Al-Araby Al-Jadeed” website in Geneva, the co-chair of “Paradise” on behalf of the Assad regime delegation, Ahmed Al-Kuzbari, rejected two proposals on the methodology of the tour’s work, and the mechanism for discussing the agenda (the basic principles of the constitution). “Al-Kuzbari” requested that “the methodology be agreed upon during the meeting of the 45 members”, a matter that may waste several sessions in vain and serious work according to the agenda. The sources indicated that the UN envoy to Syria, Geir Pedersen, “tried to find a middle proposal between the two parties, i.e. between the regime’s request and the opposition’s proposal, which includes that each party submits proposals for constitutional principles, and then they are discussed by all of the attendees to reach a consensual formulation.” When Pedersen’s proposal included “that each paper submitted by a delegation be studied before the next paper is presented,” the regime rejected Pedersen’s proposal as well, and no proposal was presented for the way the sessions should be conducted.According to members of the Constitutional Committee, the regime delegation spent its interventions talking about “The gravity of the occupations” and “the exit of foreign powers from Syria,” and on “the necessity of lifting unilateral sanctions on Syria.”