Iran, Russia and Turkey made progress in forming a Syrian constitutional committee

Tabnak – In a meeting in Geneva today, foreign ministers of Iran, Russia and Turkey, as the three guarantors of the Syrian ceasefire, agreed to form a committee to form a new constitution for the Arab country. Although the details of the committee are yet to be announced, the move is seen as a step forward in resolving the conflict in Syria.

The foreign ministers of Iran, Russia and Turkey have held talks with the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura on the composition of a Syrian constitutional committee.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his Russian and Turkish counterparts Sergei Lavrov and Mevlut Cavusoglu, respectively, met in the Swiss city of Geneva with the outgoing UN envoy for Syria in Geneva on Tuesday.

The meeting between the foreign ministers of the three countries, as guarantors of the Syria peace process, and the UN diplomat could pave the way for the drafting of a new constitution and for elections after a nearly eight-year-old devastating war in Syria.

Speaking to reporters upon his arrival in Geneva, the Iranian foreign minister said he hoped to reach an agreement with Russia and Turkey on the setting up of the new constitutional committee in Syria.

When asked whether he expected a deal to be reached, Zarif said, "I hope so."

In a statement issued after the meeting, the three sides declared that they will attempt to for the committee by the early next year. The four-point statement also calls for a persistent, intra-Syrian political process under the supervision of the UN to reach decisions on the formation of a new constitution, as well as strong commitment to preserving the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Syria.

Confirming the success of today’s meeting, de Mistura said in a press conference with the three ministers that attempts to form the constitutional committee are valuable. He added, however, that there’s still a long way to go to reach the final stage of this process. The UN envoy also said that he would present the results of the meeting to the UN Security Council.

The committee is expected to include 150 members: 50 chosen by Damascus, 50 by the opposition and the final 50 by the UN envoy. It will also include civil society representatives, religious and tribal leaders, experts and women.

The UN-prepared list has already been rejected by Damascus, which is to draw up its own list, along with Russia, Iran and Turkey. The Syrian government has repeatedly said that it would only agree with some alteration to the current constitution, whereas the opposition is pushing for an entirely new constitution.

Even if the committee is finally established, analysts say the task of discussing a post-war constitution will be difficult.