New Syrian Constitution Will Not Solve All Problems In Country At Once - Opposition Figure

DAMASCUS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th March, 2019) The new constitution of Syria is not the key to solve all problems of the country, but those points that were put forward by new UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen to solve the ongoing crisis are positive, Mais Krydee, an official representative of the Syrian Democratic Front, which unites Syria's internal opposition forces, told Sputnik.

Krydee noted that it is too early to assess the work of Pedersen on the Syrian track.

"It is necessary to recognize that his words differ from the statements by his predecessors and [his views] bring positive features. It is unclear whether his position is dictated by his character, changes in the balance of international forces or the military situation in Syria," Krydee said.

The representative of the opposition believes that the ten points put forward by the special envoy are "objective and can be developed."

According to Krydee, the opposition is concerned that a number of states is engaged in the creation of the constitutional committee, and it is concerned about the presence of the Muslim Brotherhood group, which is trying to impose its vision of the constitution.

"The reality is that the [Syrian] problems are not related to the constitution, but to the Syrian conditions and the difficulties which the Syrian people face," she said adding that Syria's problems cannot be solved immediately by creating a new constitution, especially if it is "copied" from another country.

The representative of the opposition also noted that there are contradictions between the constitution and the laws of Syria. According to her, there is no possibility to apply the constitution in some cases, as there are no institutions that should implement the provisions of the main law.

Pedersen said on Wednesday that there is progress in the work on the formation of the Syrian constitutional committee, but there is no specific date for its convocation. The diplomat did not rule out that this will happen in the near future.

The creation of the committee was first agreed upon during the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in the Russian city of Sochi in January 2018. The body is expected to include the representatives of the Syrian government, opposition and civil society. The United Nations has been helping to draft the list of the Syrian constitutional committee members.

Pedersen, in particular, believes that it is not the UN's role to draft or implement any changes to the Syrian constitution, but, at the same time, the transition toward the political process requires participation from the opposing Syrian sides and the international community.