Astana Platform's Head Says Discussed Syrian Constitution With Russian Delegates In Geneva

GENEVA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th September, 2018) The head of Astana platform of Syrian opposition, Randa Kassis, told Sputnik on Monday that she had met with the Russian delegation in Geneva and discussed with them her vision and initiative on the Syrian constitutional reform.

On September 10-11, Russia, Turkey and Iran as guarantor states on Syria are holding consultations with UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura on the issue of creating a Syrian constitutional commission. Russian Special Presidential Envoy for Syria Alexander Lavrentiev and Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin received Kassis on Monday morning, before meeting with de Mistura.

"We discussed our [Astana platform's] initiative on constitution," Kassis said.

Kassis noted that she formed a group of Syrian opposition members and experts to work out proposals for the changes in the Syrian constitution.

"We have people in [the group] from the Syrian Coalition, from the Syrian Negotiation Commission, also people from the old HNC [High Negotiations Committee]... We agreed to continue and to enlarge the group, to have more people from the Coalition, more from the SNC, to have more forces in general, to be inclusive," Kassis said.

She added that next month, she would seek to have another meeting with Russian and possibly Turkish officials.

The group has proposals regarding the future constitution, the politician noted.

"We suggested four points: on decentralization, neutral relationship between state and religion (not secular, but neutral), the form of government - mixed presidential and parliamentary republic, and the role of army," Kassis said.

"It was a really good meeting," she added.

De Mistura is holding bilateral meetings with each of the three delegations behind the closed doors on Monday. On Tuesday, a four-lateral joint session will take place.

The guarantor states are represented by Russia's Lavrentiev and Vershinin, Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal and Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Jaberi Ansari.

The first meeting of the kind with the guarantors took place in June.

The decision to set up the commission tasked with introducing changes to the country's constitution was made at the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in the Russian resort city of Sochi in January. De Mistura, who is in charge of forming the commission, is expected to single out some 40 people from 150 candidates from guarantor countries, government, opposition groups and civil society.