The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Speaking to journalists in Geneva, Pedersen appeared upbeat – but realistic - about the upcoming face-to-face meeting of the 150-member body, featuring 50 representatives each from the Government, opposition and civil society.
“The good news is we will meet here on 30 October and hopefully have a successful beginning,” he said. “A Committee in itself will not solve the crisis in Syria, and I think no-one has ever said that. But what we have said is of course a Constitution could help to bridge differences within the Syrian society, it could help to build trust and it could also be a door-opener to the broader political process.”
A smaller, 45-person body consisting of 15 Government, 15 opposition and 15 civil society members will also meet separately in the Swiss city to prepare and draft proposals, Mr. Pedersen explained, in line with agreed terms that are framed by the key principles of respect for the UN Charter, Security Council resolutions, Syria’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.
At the same time, the Syria Envoy acknowledged the need to address concerns about ongoing clashes in Idlib, where Government forces stepped up their military campaign in April, as well as insecurity concerns elsewhere.
“We need to make sure we are able to move forward on several tracks,” he told reporters. “I said in my briefing to the (Security) Council, that we also need of course to work on the situation in the north-east, this I said, Idlib is a particular challenge, the situation in the north-east is a challenge, but also we are increasingly worried also about the situation in the south-west and what is happening there.”
After more than eight and a half years of war, hundreds of thousands of Syrians are believed to have been killed in the fighting. Millions more have fled the country, which has also suffered massive destruction that’s likely to cost at least $400 billion to rebuild, UN experts said in 2018.
Focusing on the situation in the formerly largely Kurdish-controlled north-east, on the border with Turkey, the Special Envoy insisted that the situation should be handled “with respect to Syrian sovereignty, independence on territorial integrity”.
In addition, legitimate Turkish security concerns needed to be taken on board, he said, along with respect for all the different communities in the north-east.
“If all of these three issued are addressed, we believe we can be able to move forward,” he said.
Confirming that the Constitutional Committee included Kurdish delegates, Mr. Pedersen insisted that “all segments” of Syrian society were represented, including women, at nearly 30 per cent of the civil society element taking part.
This “unique representative body” alone would take decisions on rewriting the Syrian constitution, the Special Envoy insisted, noting that while he might have “several ideas” about it, he was convinced after meeting the Government and opposition that they were able to “handle this for themselves”.
Reiterating that “we don’t have much time” ahead of the 30 October meeting at United Nations Geneva, Mr. Pedersen also cited the need for the release of more combatants, as a confidence-building measure. To date, there have been four rounds of releases so far, but far greater numbers should be liberated, he suggested.
“Obviously this is an issue that is touching too many families in Syria and is causing too much pain,” he explained. “We believe that addressing this …would be an important way forward for the Syrian people. And it would also help us I believe in start to build trust in Syria again.”
Asked about the possibility of a nationwide ceasefire, Mr. Pedersen said that it was something that he and his team was taking “very, very seriously…It’s also linked as I said earlier to the situation in Idlib and the importance of hopefully keeping the calm in Idlib in the days, weeks and months ahead and we believe that a nationwide ceasefire could help to solidify this.”
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The appointment on Thursday of Karla Quintana as head of the Independent Institution on Missing Persons in the Syrian Arab Republic is a key development after nearly a year and a half of work by the UN Human Rights Office supporting the institution’s launch.
1
1
1
Edited News | IOM , UNICEF , UNRWA , WHO
The head of the UN migration agency stressed on Friday that Syria is in no position to take back millions of Syrians following the fall of the Assad regime, while there is an urgent need to “re-evaluate” sanctions impacting the war-ravaged country.
1
1
1
Edited News | IIIM , UNHCR
Syria: ‘Key priority’ is to preserve evidence of crimes – UN investigators
In Syria, new access to evidence of horrific human rights violations means that accountability may be closer than ever – if only proof can be preserved, a top UN investigator said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OSE , ICRC , UNHCR
Syria: UN and partners urge action to preserve evidence of prison atrocities, stabilize country
Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria five days ago, hundreds of people have rushed to Saydnaya prison, desperate to find loved ones. Disturbing images from the prison and other detention centers have since surfaced, exposing the “unimaginable barbarity Syrians have endured for years,” said Jenifer Fenton, spokesperson for the UN special envoy for Syria, on Friday.
1
1
2
Edited News | UNRWA
Gaza: “Sickening normalisation” of suffering, amid attacks on people and aid convoys
Ongoing military operations by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) in Gaza continue to devastate Palestinian children and families, with mounting casualties and a critical lack of humanitarian aid for the desperate population.
“Local media reporting here that last night, 30 people were killed in this area in strikes” said a senior emergency officer with the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), Louise Wateridge, speaking to reporters in Geneva from central Gaza.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | OHCHR
Rights experts call for end to impunity for Israel’s violations of international law
Four independent human rights experts have jointly called for the international community to sanction Israel’s conduct of hostilities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory as well as in the wider Middle East region - including in Syria, Lebanon and Iran. They also called for the restoration of trust in the international justice system through the abandonment of “extreme interpretations” and “double standards” in the application of the universal norms regulating the conduct of war.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNHCR
Syria: needs continue to grow amid highly uncertain situation, say aid teams
The historic power shift in Syria and the still volatile situation two days after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime have increased humanitarian needs in a country where nearly 17 million people, including millions of internally displaced, already depended on humanitarian aid before the recent events, UN aid teams said on Tuesday.
2
1
3
Edited News , Press Conferences | OSES
Barely 48 hours since opposition forces including Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) swept into Damascus and forced out President Bashar al-Assad, the top UN negotiator tasked with helping Syrians’ create a peaceful and democratic future insisted that nothing could be taken for granted.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Monday called on States to do all in their power to end senseless conflicts and suffering.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
No evacuation order given before Kamal Adwan Hospital strike, says WHO
One of the last partially functional health centres in northern Gaza was reportedly hit again overnight into Friday by several strikes, leaving four health workers among the casualties and the dead, according to the UN World Health Organization (WHO).
2
1
2
Edited News , Press Conferences | OCHA
More than 280,000 people have been uprooted in northwest Syria in a matter of days following the sudden and massive offensive into Government-controlled areas led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which is sanctioned by the Security Council as a terrorist group.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk has called on the Georgian authorities to respect and protect the rights to freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly following several nights of protests that were marred by violence, and dispersed using disproportionate, and in some cases unnecessary, force by the police in the capital, Tbilisi.