Pedersen Meets With Albahra and SNC Delegation ahead of Seventh Session
Geneva
The United Nations Special Envoy for Syria, Geir O. Pedersen, accompanied by his deputy, Khawla Matar, visited the Co-Chair of the Constitutional Committee, Hadi Albahra, and SNC members in the Small Body of the Constitutional Committee at their residence in Geneva, where they discussed the preparatory steps for the seventh session of the meetings of the Constitutional Committee.
The delegation had arrived in Geneva with the constitutional and media support teams, and held several internal meetings in preparation for the seventh session of the Constitutional Committee’s meetings, which officially begins on Monday, 21 of this month, and continues until the end of the week.
The two Co-Chairs are scheduled to hold a preparatory meeting today, in the presence of the UN Special Envoy for Syria.
After his meeting with Pedersen, Abahra said, “We are working by all means to develop the rules of procedure and work mechanisms. Our continued participation in the efforts of the United Nations to achieve peace in Syria is a declaration addressed to the international community that expresses our commitment to a political solution based on UNSC resolutions. Our revolution continues with all possible and legitimate means until we achieve the goals.”
“The continuation of the political process and keeping it alive in Geneva prevented the regime from absenting the people’s political aspirations and demands from the halls of the United Nations and the international arena, or the people’s demands for accountability to bring war criminals to justice.” Albahra added.
Pedersen had announced in his last briefing at the UN Security Council on 25 February that the two Co-Chairs had reached a mechanism to improve the work of the Constitutional Committee, which they had raised on the fifth day of the previous session. He stressed that “it is important that the small body’s work continues, in such a manner that it builds confidence.” He also pointed to the need to “striving for consensus and constructive engagement by all delegations, so that the Constitutional Committee works expeditiously and continuously to produce results and continued progress.”
It is noteworthy that the United Nations announced on 23 September 2019, that “an agreement had been reached between the Syrian Government and the Syrian Negotiation Commission on the formation of a balanced, credible and inclusive constitutional committee, comprising representatives of the government, the opposition and civil society, to discuss and draft a new constitution, or make constitutional reforms, within the track of political solution,” to draft a new constitution and reform the constitutional practices. This comes in the context of the political solution process pursuant to UNSCR 2254 of 2015 and other relevant resolutions.