UN envoy holds "detailed discussions" with Syrian officials

Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-14 20:41:16|Editor: zh
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DAMASCUS, April 14 (Xinhua) -- UN envoy to Syria Geir Pedersen said he held "detailed and substantial" discussions with Syrian officials in the capital Damascus on Sunday.

Pedersen, who arrived in Damascus on Saturday afternoon, held the meetings Sunday morning and will continue the discussions in the afternoon of the same day.

He told reporters upon returning from the first session of talks Sunday that his talks with Syrian foreign ministry officials are covering all issues.

"We have had very detailed substantial discussions and we are continuing the discussions this afternoon so it's fair to say that we are now addressing all the issues so all the issues are on the table and let's see how we are able to proceed later this afternoon," he said.

Pedersen has been discussing, throughout his previous visits to Syria, the formation of a constitutional committee that would be tasked with discussing and suggesting amendments to the Syrian constitution.

The Syrian government side has been reluctant to allow any foreign interference with the constitution, saying this is a sovereign matter.

Last month, Syria's Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem told Pedersen that the Syrian constitution is a Syrian sovereign matter decided by the Syrian people without foreign interference.

The foreign minister, while saying that the Syrian constitution is an internal issue, stressed his government's resolve to cooperate with Pedersen to make his mission a success.

In January of this year, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that there is no timeframe to launch the constitutional committee in Syria, but the work needs to be done as quickly as possible.

He said that Syria needs a constitutional committee that is "indeed balanced" and accepted by all Syrian people.

Guterres said additional consultations will be needed since the UN's list for the constitutional committee was rejected by the Syrian government last year.

The launch of Syrian constitutional committee has become the centerpiece of UN peace efforts in the country, and its goal is to set up elections that can end eight years of devastating war.

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