Astana Meeting Fails to Agree on 'Constitutional Committee'
Saturday, 27 April, 2019
Foreign Ministers, Sergei Lavrov (C) of Russia, Mevlut Cavusoglu (L) of Turkey and Mohammad Javad Zarif of Iran, attend the international meeting on Syria in Astana, Kazakhstan, March 16, 2018. (Reuters)
Moscow - Raed Jaber
The new round of Astana Talks, held in the Kazakh capital Nur-Sultan, saw no progress in the main issue which guarantor countries, Russia, Turkey, and Iran were hoping to achieve.
The organizers were forced to announce the parties' failure to reach an agreement on the constitutional committee and the dispute remained regarding six names in the list of civil society.
The guarantor countries sponsoring the cease-fire in Syria (Russia, Turkey, and Iran) announced that the talks will continue to resolve points of contention, and in a final statement confirmed their commitment to a political process led by the Syrians.
The statement reiterated the parties’ determination to implement the agreements on the stabilization of the situation in Idlib’s de-escalation area and agreed to include Iraq and Lebanon in Astana Talks as observers.
It reaffirmed their commitment to moving forward with the political process led by Syrians and supervised by the United Nations, in line with Security Council Resolution 2254.
The parties also agreed to expedite the work to launch the constitutional committee as soon as possible in line with the Syrian national dialogue conference in Sochi.
The next round of consultations on the establishment of the committee will be held in Geneva, indicated the statement, adding that the parties affirmed their full readiness to contribute to the efforts of UN’s Special Envoy.
Russian President's envoy to Syria, Alexander Lavrentiev, noted that in the process of the formation of a constitutional committee on Syria, there remain several “unclear points”.
He indicated that the participants of the Astana process hope to help the special envoy of the UN Secretary-General on Syria Geir Pedersen with the process of its formation and launch.
The Syrian government, the armed opposition factions and those supporting the parties can agree to form a constitutional committee in the coming months, according to the Envoy.
Diplomats from Russia, Iran, and Turkey will meet with UN negotiators in Geneva to further discuss the matter, adding that the issue was “in its final stage.”
He said that participants also discussed the return of refugees to Syria and assisting the Syrian people in reconstruction.
The Special Envoy noted that before the meeting, the participants did not expect to have an agreement on the Constitutional Committee, but to continue the good discussions with the Syrian government, and the Syrian opposition.
“I am looking forward also to meeting with Turkey, Russia, and Iran in Geneva, and as you know they have accepted my invitation and I am looking very much forward to those discussions.”
Asked by the press about the formation of the constitutional committee, Pedersen expressed his belief that progress has been achieved, adding that he will continue his consultations with the government, and with the opposition and of course also with other international parties.
At the same time, the Special Envoy indicated that it is difficult to say the states are close to reaching a solution, but the important thing is to reach an agreement and begin the peace-building process in Syria.
Head of the Syrian opposition delegation to the Astana talks Ahmed Tomah pointed out that the discussion on the constitutional committee was “the most important in the round of talks.”
He explained that there are two very important issues relating to the commission: finalizing the names with only six names haven’t been agreed on, and the procedural process relating to the presidency of the committee, how decisions will be made, voting process and mechanism.
During the meeting, Iran, Russia, and Turkey renewed their refusal of US recognition of Israel's sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights.
In the joint statement, the three countries strongly condemned the US move, saying it “constitutes a grave violation of international law, particularly the UN Security Council resolution 497, and threatens peace and security in the Middle East.”
The talks also saw bilateral and trilateral meetings discussing the situation in Idlib against the backdrop of the failure to implement the Idlib de-escalation area.
According to the statement, they also agreed to take concrete steps to reduce violations in the Idlib de-escalation area, without determining the steps.
Head of the Iranian delegation Ali Asghar Khaji said negotiations on Syria would continue until reaching a political settlement.
The guarantor states agreed to continue their consultations on the situation in the north-east of Syria and emphasized in this regard that security and stability in this region can only be achieved on the basis of respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country.
The new round of Astana Talks, held in the Kazakh capital Nur-Sultan, saw no progress in the main issue which guarantor countries, Russia, Turkey, and Iran were hoping to achieve. The organizers were forced to announce the parties' failure to reach
aawsat.com
