Syrian FM Muallem discusses constitutional committee with UN envoy Pedersen in Damascus

Syria’s foreign minister has discussed the formation of a constitutional committee and its work with UN special envoy Geir Pedersen.

Walid Muallem’s meeting with Pedersen on Monday focused on the committee’s setup and guarantees that it be free “from any foreign intervention,” Syrian state news agency SANA said.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced last week that a long-sought agreement was reached on the composition of a committee to draft a new constitution for Syria. The formation of the 150-member committee is an important step toward ending Syria’s conflict.

The UN chief said that Pedersen “is doing the final work” on finalizing details of the committee, and hoped “this will be very soon concluded,” AP reported.