The UN envoy to Syria, Geir Pedersen, said Thursday that the Syrian parties in the negotiations to form the Constitutional Committee wish to make progress in the talks.
Pederson’s statement came at a press conference with Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Mayo, as part of his participation in a dialogue forum on the Mediterranean, in the capital Rome.
Pederson said it was time to start a political phase that would end the pain of the Syrian people after 9 years of conflict.
He explained that the constitutional committee will open the political door even if the clashes stopped, pointing to the presence of troops for five countries in Syria.
He added that “the situation is very dangerous (in Syria), so we need a political stage”.
The formation of the Constitutional Commission in Geneva was a starting point for the negotiations.
He said, “The second round of negotiations was the most difficult, but the parties confirmed their desire to make progress”.
For his part, Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Mayo said that peace in Syria can be achieved through political dialogue, not arms.
He stressed that the Italian government will continue to support the efforts of the United Nations peace process in Syria.
Last Friday, the Syrian parties and civil society organizations failed to reach agreement on the agenda of the mini-committee of the Constitutional Committee, which led to the failure of its meeting on the last day of its second round in Geneva.
The Syrian government delegation first left the United Nations headquarters, followed by the rest of the delegations, without convening the Constitutional Committee of the 45-member mini-body in parallel with the regime, the opposition and civil society organizations.
