The Syrian Negotiations Commission held its first meeting with the new UN envoy to Syria Geir Pedersen in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Friday. Both sides discussed the political process and ways to help find a political solution in Syria.
In a statement, the Commission reaffirmed it stood ready to deal positively with the new UN envoy as it previously did with the former envoys, stressing that it did want “more time to be wasted.”
The Commission also reasserted the UN-led political process in accordance with the Geneva Communique of 2012 and international resolutions on Syria, most importantly UN Security Council resolution 2254 which is the agreed action plan for a political solution.
Furthermore, the Commission pointed to the need to follow up the work on the formation of the Constitutional Committee and the rules of procedure for its political and organizational work as an important track of the political process. It also stressed the need to pave the way for the completion of the other tracks, especially the first track related to the creation of a safe, neutral environment for the holding of a referendum on the draft constitution as a prelude to political transition.
The Commission called for the taking of confidence-building measures, chief among them are the release of detainees, the disclosure of the fate of the missing persons, the cessation of violations all across Syria, and assuming responsibility for the immense suffering of the displaced persons and refugees. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)
