Syrian Opposition Hopes Constitutional Committee To Start Work Soon - SNC On Astana Summit

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th September, 2019) The Syrian Negotiations Commission (SNC) opposition umbrella body hopes that the constitutional committee will start its work soon and that the results of the summit in the so-called Astana format among the presidents of Russia, Turkey and Iran in Ankara will be implemented in practice, bringing Syria back to peaceful life, SNC spokesman Yahya Aridi told Sputnik.

Earlier in the day, a trilateral meeting took place in Ankara among Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, during which the sides have discussed, inter alia, the formation of a constitutional committee that would work toward preparing a constitutional reform in conflict-torn Syria.

"We hope that they would develop an understanding that the ceasefire in Idlib will hold. We hope that the constitutional committee will start its work. And we hope that what those presidents say in the media will be translated on the ground. We hope that they are people who care about Syria, and along with their interests we want them to think about Syrian interests and be honest about doing what they say. We hope that this [summit decisions] would give Syria a chance to get into a political process that would bring Syria back to life," Aridi said.

The landmark agreement to form the constitutional committee was reached among the sides to the Syrian conflict in the Russian city of Sochi in January 2018.

"The announcement of the intention to form a constitutional committee is over a year old. There have always been obstacles and excuses that it is going through problems with Names, organization, rules, terms of work and reference etc. There have always been excuses, and they have always been coming from the regime, supported by Russia. If the regime is now serious, the committee can work," Aridi added.

The civil conflict in Syria has been ongoing since 2011 between President Bashar Assad's government and various opposition groups and terrorist organizations. In May 2017, the warring parties held talks in the Kazakh capital of Nur Sultan under the mediation of Russia, Iran and Turkey, and managed to conclude a ceasefire agreement and establish four de-escalation zones. Even though in some parts of Syrian military operations continue, the priority is now given to political settlement and return of refugees.