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Syrian opposition says it will work with Sochi proposal under U.N. auspices

By REUTERS

FEBRUARY 1, 2018 17:28

ISTANBUL - Syria's opposition will cooperate with proposals made at a Russia-hosted conference this week to rewrite the country's constitution as long as the process remains under UN auspices, the chief opposition negotiator said on Thursday.

Participants at Tuesday's meeting in the Black Sea resort of Sochi in Russia - which is a powerful supporter of President Bashar al-Assad - agreed to set up a committee to change the Syrian constitution, and called for democratic elections.

The main Syrian negotiating group had boycotted the gathering, while the United States, Britain and France also stayed away because of what they said was the Syrian government's refusal to properly engage.

However, chief opposition negotiator Nasr Hariri said the Syrian Negotiation Commission would "work positively" with the proposed committee because responsibility for setting it up had been handed to UN Syria envoy, Staffan de Mistura.

"If the constitutional committee is set up... within the U.N. process in Geneva, strictly consistent with UN resolution 2254, yes we will continue to work with the U.N. process in this regard," he told a news conference.

Four years of on-off United Nations-mediated peace talks have yielded little progress toward ending the seven-year war, but De Mistura has pressed ahead with efforts for a political solution.

He said on Tuesday the constitutional committee agreed in Sochi "will become a reality in Geneva," where most of the U.N.-led Syria peace talks have been held. De Mistura also said he would decide the criteria for committee members and select about 50 people - from government, opposition and independent groups.

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