The UN special envoy to Syria described the discussions he held with Syrian authorities in Damascus on Saturday as "very good," expressing hope for the resumption of Constitutional Committee meetings. Geir Pedersen told reporters after meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, "We had substantive and very good discussions." He added, "We discussed the economic and humanitarian challenges in Syria, the challenges related to livelihoods, and the efforts we can make to help improve this situation."
Pedersen hopes to "move forward with the work of the Constitutional Committee," revealing that it is possible to "call for a sixth round" of talks among its members. The small group of the Constitutional Committee, formed in September 2019, consists of 45 members evenly representing the Syrian government, the opposition, and civil society.
However, UN efforts and successive meeting rounds have failed to advance the committee's endeavors, hindered by deep disagreements among key parties, as well as the impact of the COVID pandemic on the meeting pace. The UN envoy to Syria expressed his disappointment in January after talks held in Geneva regarding the Syrian constitution, clarifying that the participating parties could not agree on a methodology for action.
Since 2011, Syria has been experiencing a bloody conflict that has resulted in the deaths of around half a million people, caused immense destruction to infrastructure and productive sectors, and displaced millions of people both within and outside the country.
