Syrian parties agree on composition of constitutional committee: UN chief

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Wednesday that all relevant parties in Syria have agreed on the composition of a committee tasked to rewrite the country's constitution.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres attends a press briefing to mark the opening of the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly at the UN September 18, 2019 in New York. [Photo: AFP/Timothy A. Clary]

"In relation to the constitutional committee, there is now an agreement among all parties on the composition of the committee," Guterres told reporters.

Geir Pedersen, his special envoy for Syria, is doing "the final work" with the parties in relation to the terms of reference, said Guterres. "We hope that this will be very soon concluded, and I hope that this will be a very important step in creating the conditions for a political solution for this tragic conflict."

Under an intra-Syrian agreement reached at Sochi, Russia, in January 2018, the constitutional committee is to be composed of representatives of the Syrian government, the opposition and civil society representatives -- each with 50 members.

The constitutional committee is considered a key element in the Syrian political process.