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Conflict in Syria

Syrian speaker hopes PACE delegation's visit to help EU review political course

A delegation of Russian lawmakers and PACE representatives met with Syrian President Bashar Assad earlier in the day

DAMASCUS, March 20./TASS/. Syrian parliament Speaker Hadia Abbas expects that a delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) that has arrived in Damascus together with Russian lower house’s lawmakers, will help make their states review their erroneous policy.

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Russian lawmakers, Assad agree to create constitutional commission in Syrian parliament

"We pin big hopes on them and their colleagues, expecting that they will help change an erroneous political course of their states," she said as she met with the State Duma delegation led by Vice Speaker Vladimir Vassilyev.

The speaker also gave high marks to the position of the State Duma and the Russian leadership towards Syria and its people.

"Of course, since this meets the interests of the Syrian people, we will need your (Russian parliamentarians’) help," she said while meeting with a delegation of parliamentarians from the Russian lower house of parliament and PACE, led by Duma Vice Speaker Vladimir Vassilyev.

She valued as "correct" the decision to set up a constitutional commission made by Syrian President Bashar Assad. "It fits within recommendations from Geneva consultations and Astana meetings," Hadia Abbas stressed.

The speaker marked that the issue of adopting and developing the Syrian constitution is prerogative of the Syrian people. "This constitutional commission will be looking into very different issues connected with lawmaking, in what pertains to developing the framework law. But I want to emphasize that adopting the Constitution is the right and privilege of the Syrian people only," the speaker marked.

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Kremlin notes parameters for Syrian peace deal still being hammered out

A delegation of Russian lawmakers from the State Duma lower house of parliament and PACE representatives led by PACE President Pedro Agramunt, met with Syrian President Bashar Assad earlier in the day.

Their conversation continued for about three hours. Duma and PACE parliamentarians arived in Syria early on Monday. The Russian delegation is led by Vice Speaker Vladimir Vassilyev, who heads the United Russia Party faction, and includes deputies from all four factions represented in the lower house.

The European delegation includes some ten parliamentarians from Spain, Italy, the Czech Republic, Serbia and Belgium. The visit comes at the invitation of Speaker Hadia Abbas.

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Syrian conflict

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