UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen speaks to reporters after a meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem in Damascus, Syria, on Oct.16, 2019. Geir Pedersen said on Wednesday that the recently-formed Syria's constitutional committee will hold its first meeting by the end of this month. The meeting will be held despite the situation in northeastern Syria where Turkey launched an offensive against the Kurdish forces, he said in the capital Damascus after a meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem. (Xinhua/Wang Jian)
DAMASCUS, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem and the visiting UN special envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen on Wednesday stressed the need for ongoing coordination to make the work of the recently-formed constitutional committee successful, according to the state news agency SANA.
Both sides stressed that the work of the constitutional committee, which is tasked with reviewing and revising the Syrian constitution, should be led by Syrians themselves without foreign interference.
Meanwhile, both sides also discussed the current situation in northeastern Syria, where Turkish is on a crushing offensive against Kurdish forces and the possible repercussion such a military operation could have on the work of the constitutional committee.
Al-Moallem stressed that Syria will counter the forces that are encroaching upon its sovereignty and independence, noting that it's the duty of the Syrian army to protect the Syrians in northeastern Syria.
Syria will counter the Turkish aggression by all means possible, al-Moallem reiterated.
For his side, Pedersen informed al-Moallem of the latest updates on the launching of the constitutional committee's work, voicing readiness to exert all efforts to make success the work of the committee.
Pedersen arrived in the capital Damascus on Tuesday evening on a visit that comes as the Syrian constitutional committee, which was formed last month, will be convening in Geneva later this month.
During Pedersen's visit to Damascus last month, the UN announced that a Syrian constitutional committee made up of opposition, civil society and government members has been finalized after almost two years of negotiations.
The 150-member committee, proposed during a peace conference hosted by Russia in January 2018, will rewrite the Syrian constitution.
