Syrian Constitutional Committee to hold first meeting in Geneva with Astana Troika's assistance - foreign ministers of Russia, Turkey, Iran
NEW YORK CITY (UN). Sept 25 (Interfax) - The Astana Troika has welcomed the accomplished establishment of the Syrian Constitutional Committee and agreed to promote its first meeting in Geneva.
The ministers "welcomed the finalization of the establishment process of the Constitutional Committee as a result of the completion of its composition at the last Tripartite Summit held in Ankara on 16 September 2019 and the agreement on 23 September 2019 by the Syrian parties on the rules of procedure which was facilitated by the Astana guarantors in coordination with the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy on Syria," the foreign ministers of Russia, Turkey, and Iran said in a statement after the trilateral meeting held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session on Tuesday.
The ministers "expressed their determination to support the work of the Constitutional Committee through continuous interaction with the Syrian parties and the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy on Syria," the statement said.
They also "agreed to help convene the first session of the Constitutional Committee in Geneva."
The ministers "emphasized that this crucial step will pave the way for a viable and lasting Syrian-led, Syrian-owned and UN-facilitated political process in line with the decisions of the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Sochi and the UN Security Council resolution 2254."
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said at the UN New York Headquarters on Monday he was expecting the Syrian Constitutional Committee to start working shortly.
In his words, the Constitutional Committee will convene a meeting within weeks, after the Syrian authorities and the opposition have agreed to launch this mechanism.