The Syrian Negotiations Commission said that it discussed the field developments and military escalation by the Assad regime as well its Russian and Iranian allies. It also discussed the catastrophic situation in many areas across Syria resulting from the Assad regime and its allies’ use of various types of internationally banned weapons and their targeting of civilian infrastructure, hospitals and ambulances.
In a statement issued on Monday, the Commission said that it convened a regular meeting in the Saudi capital, Riyadh to review the consultations it made with various international actors to stop the Assad regime’s barbaric attacks on civilians; put an end to its violations of UN resolutions; and its commission of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The Commission pointed out that it also discussed developments of the political process and the course of the intra-Syrian negotiations under the auspices of the United Nations as well as efforts of the UN envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura to set up a Constitutional Committee.
The Commission also assessed the outcome of the contacts and visits it made as part of communications with the international community and Arab states. The Commission said that in all those meetings it reaffirmed that all stages of the negotiating process must remain under the umbrella of the United Nations. It also reasserted commitment to the full implementation of UN Security Council resolution 2254 and the Geneva Communique of 2012.
Moreover, the Commission said that it discussed all issues related to the negotiating process with the UN envoy’s team. It noted that “members of the Commission raised many questions to members of the delegation of the UN envoy and that both sides exchanged views on the points that needed to be clarified.”
The Commission pointed out that the focus was on the main points in the formation of the Constitutional Committee, most notably “the terms of reference, the nature of its components, its powers, and the criteria for selecting the representatives.” The Commission concluded its meeting by saying that it “sent clear messages through the delegation to the UN envoy Staffan de Mistura.” (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)
