Syrian constitution committee could convene soon, Russian envoy says

Moscow hopes that an agreement can be reached soon, under UN auspices, on forming Syria’s new constitutional committee, Russia’s UN ambassador Gennady Gatilov said on Friday. The new body could convene in Geneva as early as September, Reuters quoted him as saying.

Gatilov said in Geneva that he expected UN Special Envoy Geir Pedersen to announce agreement on the composition of the body soon, after the conclusion of negotiations between the Syrian government and the opposition.

Bashar Jaafari, a permanent representative of Syria to the UN, reported earlier this month that Damascus believes that an agreement with the UN on the composition of the constitutional committee had been reached.

The UN special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, visited the Syrian capital in July.