UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura said Friday that Damascus does not recognize the world body's role in forming a constitutional committee tasked to draft a new constitution for the war-torn country.
De Mistura noted that the final statement of inter-Syrian talks in Sochi in January, which were brokered by Russia, Iran and Turkey -- the Astana guarantors, did put the United Nations in charge of the composition of the constitutional committee.
"Final agreement is to be reached in the UN-led Geneva process on the mandate and terms of reference, powers, rules of procedure, and selection criteria for the composition of the constitutional committee," de Mistura quoted the Russian version of the outcome as reading.
At his meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem in Damascus on Wednesday, the Syrian official, however, did not recognize the outcome of the Sochi talks as circulated to the Security Council by Russia, said de Mistura.
"On the Sochi final statement, Muallem referred to another outcome rather than the one circulated by Russia to the Security Council. He said that it was possible for the government of Syria to take 'some elements' of the outcome circulated by Russia and 'reconcile' them with the government's preferred other 'outcome' -- and the key differences in this regard concerned, mainly, the role of the UN," de Mistural told the Security Council.
As regards the understanding reached between Russia and the United Nations before the Sochi event that the Sochi outcome would be brought to Geneva as a contribution to the intra-Syrian talks process under the auspices of the United Nations, Muallem did not view it as consistent with the principles of sovereignty and non-interference, said de Mistura.
"Basically, Minister Muallem did not accept a role for the UN in general in identifying or selecting the Middle Third list," said the UN envoy, referring to the list of civil society representatives to the committee.
Under the Sochi agreement, the constitutional committee is to be composed of representatives of the Syrian government, the opposition and civil society representatives -- each with 50 members.
Muallem indicated that the Syrian government and Russia had agreed recently that the three Astana guarantors and the Syrian government would, in consultation among them, prepare a proposal as regards the civil society representative, and present it to UN facilitation.
Since Muallem indicated that the Syrian government's preferred methodology at this stage was working with the Astana guarantors on a civil society component to the constitutional committee, he said, a lot of responsibility and expectation rests now on them and on how to implement the Sochi declaration in a manner that carries forward the implementation of Security Council Resolution 2254 and gives practical effect to the basic points on which the UN supported Sochi.
The UN proposal was made after careful consultations including with the guarantors, and has been revised already in light of those consultations, he said.
The very difficulties of keeping everyone on board should be a reminder to all to be careful in thinking that some radically different approach has any prospects of success, he warned.
"The UN is not opposed to constructive and moderate suggestions -- so long as we maintain the same spirit of credibility -- I repeat credibility, balance, international legitimacy of the Middle Third list on the table, and we have a sense of urgency to find common ground or at least clarify where we stand. Because we should not miss the opportunity of the Idlib window (as a result of cease-fire). That is why November is becoming so important."
At a certain point, Muallem proposed that the UN envoy withdraw the proposed civil society representatives list already on the table, said de Mistura.
"I indicated that the UN could withdraw its proposal only -- only -- once and only if there was an agreement on a new credible, balanced and inclusive list consistent with Security Council Resolution 2254 and the Sochi final statement."
Resolution 2254 provides for a political settlement in Syria.
De Mistura said he will be traveling to Istanbul, Turkey, on Saturday to brief the presidents of France, Germany, Russia and Turkey at their summit meeting on Syria.
He said that he will use that occasion to remind these four important leaders that there is still a clear window of opportunity that needs to be urgently seized.
De Mistura, who will step down by the end of November, vowed to continue to push for the convening of the constitutional committee.
"I will spare no effort in the time that remains of my mandate to verify whether it is indeed possible to convene a UN-facilitated, Syrian-owned, Syrian-led constitutional committee that is credible, balanced and inclusive, and contributes in the context of the Geneva process to implementing Security Council Resolution 2254," he told the Security Council.
He said he will report back to the council on Nov. 19 after consultations with the Astana guarantors and with members of the so-called Small Group on Syria -- Britain, France, Germany, the United States, Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
