UN Envoy Hails Sochi Final Statement on Syria
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – UN Special Envoy on Syria Staffan De Mistura hailed the final statement of the Syrian Congress of National Dialog, which was hosted by Russia in the resort city of Sochi on January 29 and 30, 2018.
"A Constitutional Committee is to be formed, comprising the government of the Syrian Arab republic delegation along with a wide-represented opposition delegation for drafting a constitutional reform,” De Mistura said on Tuesday addressing the Congress, RT reported.
He added, “In your final declaration today you’ve embraced 12 principles, developed in the Geneva political process, which describes a vision of Syria, that all Syrians should be able to share”.
The UN official said there were heated discussion during the Congress, but added it is a completely normal occurrence during democratic negotiations.
The new panel is perceived to be a valuable contribution to the Geneva process – “the political settlement under the auspices of the UN (and) in accordance with Security Council Resolution 2254," De Mistura said.
Moscow expects de Mistura and the UN to take practical steps to implement the decisions taken at the Sochi Congress, and to actively participate in the drafting of a new constitution for Syria, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters after the congress.
“We are not trying to look into the future now. We’ve agreed today that the results of the Congress are presented to the UN in hope that they will stimulate the Geneva process,” Lavrov said.
“Staffan de Mistura has all the powers needed, given by the Resolution 2254. The support to these... De Mistura’s powers was shown during the Congress and he was asked to actively engage in work on the Constitution.”
The three countries, who brokered the Sochi Congress, Russia Iran and Turkey will fully support the UN and de Mistura in the implementation of its outcomes, Lavrov added.
