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Syrian constitutional committee to be set up in September

UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura expects to form a Syrian constitutional committee in September

MOSCOW, August 8./TASS/. UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura expects to form a Syrian constitutional committee at the end of September, Qadri Jamil, a leader of the Syrian opposition’s so-called Moscow platform said on Wednesday.

"The constitutional committee is to be set up by UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura late in September," he said in reply to a journalist query. "This is what de Mistura expects. There won’t be any consultations in Geneva until the constitutional committee [is formed]," he said.

"Consultations between different representatives of the opposition are currently underway," he said. "Consultations are held at the level of the High Negotiations Committee, they take place monthly. We have also presented our list of the delegates to the constitutional committee".

According to Qadri Jamil, such consultations will eventually rid the armed opposition of all extremists. "I think this will happen shortly," he stressed. Jamil admitted difficulties on this way, but said "the process continues".

An agreement to form this mechanism was reached at the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in the Russia Black Sea resort of Sochi on January 30. In teamwork with Staffan de Mistura, it will engage in preparing proposals to draw up a Syrian constitution.

As many as 150 representatives will contend to become part of the committee: 100 of them represent the government and the domestic opposition, 50 represent external opposition. The UN emissary noted that the future consultative body should include no more than 50 members.

Earlier reports said that in September de Mistura will hold consultations in Geneva with all countries guarantors of the Syrian ceasefire (Russia, Iran and Turkey) that will focus on setting up the constitutional committee.